Carta sobre los maricones
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| Carta sobre los maricones | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Created | 27 November 1791 |
| Location | Mercurio Peruano |
| Author | José Mariano de Aguirre y Mayora |
| Purpose | condemning transvestism and homosexual practices |
Carta sobre los maricones (lit. A letter about faggots) is a text published in the Peruvian newspaper Mercurio Peruano on 27 November 1791,[1] attributed to the priest José Mariano de Aguirre y Mayora, who signed it under the pseudonym "Sophronio". It is one of the first works written in Peru that mentions transvestism and sexual diversity.[2][3]
The letter, dated August 1773 in "Androginópolis"—a satirical name given to the city of Lima in the 18th century—[4] is written by a character called "Filaletes", who writes to his friend Leandro describing the habits of Lima society, using satirical language to refer to androgynous people (maricones) and with a marked moralistic tone condemning transvestism and homosexual practices.[2][5]
The publication of Carta sobre los maricones generated reactions among Lima society: in the 19 February 1792 edition of the Mercurio Peruano appeared a missive entitled "Letter sent to society making some reflections on the one contained in Mercurio no. 94, in which homosexuals are depicted" (Spanish: Carta remitida á la sociedad haciendo algunas reflexiones sobre la que se contiene en el Mercurio núm. 94, en que se pinta á los Maricones), written by the priest Tomás Mendez y Lachica — censor of the Sociedad Académica de Amantes del País — under the pseudonym "Teagnes", and which sought to decipher the causes that would lead some men to adopt feminine behaviors.[2][6]