They denounce the disappearance of María, a trans woman, activist and defender of the territory of Oaxaca
María Mendoza Lucas, from the Mixe community, was reported missing in the state of Puebla. Organizations, friends, and her family are demanding her safe return.
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María Mendoza Lucas is a 31-year-old Indigenous trans woman. She is an active advocate for land rights and human rights, and was reported missing on Monday, October 27th in the state of Puebla. She is also a multidisciplinary artist.
“I am asking the public, in the most respectful way, to help me locate my daughter. I am desperate. It has been a long time since I have heard from her,” pleads Maria’s mother.
The young woman's mother asked transporters who travel in the Municipality of Santa Cruz Xoxocotlán , in the state of Oaxaca or elsewhere, to report any information that may help in the search to 9511646434 or to the corresponding authorities.
“It’s been so many days since I’ve heard from her. I want my daughter back alive. Mari, please contact me so I know how you are. I want to find you, hug you, be with you and your siblings. Please, my daughter, contact me. We all love you,” said the mother searching for her daughter.
To find Maria
According to the missing person report from the Oaxaca State Commission for the Search of Persons (CEBPO) , María was wearing a green blouse, black jeans, black sneakers, and a red cap.
As a distinguishing feature, she has a small scar on the left side of her cheekbone and another scar on her shin. The young woman is 1.70 meters tall, has a slender build, and long, straight black hair. She has a medium-sized mouth with full lips, and her eyes are small, almond-shaped, and black. According to the missing person report, she has a light brown complexion.
Maria's activism
María actively participates in actions to defend the territory in different towns in Oaxaca. She promotes traditional medicine, as well as the struggle of Eloxochitlán de Flores Magón, a Mazatec town that defends its river and resists state violence. The young woman's activism also focuses on combating gentrification.
Other LGBTQ+, feminist, and land rights organizations, such as Consorcio Oaxaca, Colectiva Jurídica por la Dignidad Disidente (Cojudidi), Red de Defensoras DH México, Barrio Periférico, Educa, and the Red Nacional de Abogadas Indígenas, have joined the demand. They all call for a redoubled effort to find them alive and with a gender-sensitive approach.
“Immediate and alive search”
“We join the demand for an immediate search for her alive, with a differential approach and a gender perspective, to allow for her prompt location,” emphasizes the National Network of Women Human Rights Defenders in Mexico.
La Campamenta joins this call, requesting that the search be conducted with a trans perspective. “We demand a trans perspective in the search, because that also dignifies trans lives,” they stated.
People close to María told Agencia Presentes that the young woman had been sexually assaulted on other occasions, both in the state of Oaxaca and in Puebla. “In September, she had posted that she was being harassed by police officers and public officials in Puebla.
Attack on activism
According to the organization Servicios Para una Educación Alternativa AC – EDUCA –, from December 2018 to October 2024, a total of 252 attacks against human rights defenders were recorded. These cases of lethal violence include disappearances, homicides, and extrajudicial executions. Of that total, 225 were murders and 27 were disappearances. In Oaxaca, three male and three female human rights defenders disappeared, including four Mixtec individuals.
Check out our Annual Report: Homicides of LGBTIQ+ People in Latin America and the Caribbean 2024.
— Letter S (@Letraese) September 24, 2025
Every 24 hours, an LGBTIQ+ person was murdered in Latin America and the Caribbean during 2024. @ViolenciaLGBTI documented 361 homicides throughout 2024. https://t.co/cMHlI5CDRn
Regarding violence against people of sexual diversity, the civil association Letra S , Sida, Cultura y Vida Cotidiana, recorded at least 80 murders of people of sexual and gender diversity in Mexico in 2024.
“In the last three years alone, including 2024, we have recorded 233 murders, 66 in 2023 and 87 in 2022. 2024 shows a 20% increase compared to the previous year,” he emphasizes in his report.
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