Julia Pastrana’s Long Journey Home

Julia Pastrana (1834–1860) was a talented Indigenous Mexican opera singer who performed across the US and Europe. She was born with hypertrichosis terminalis and hyperplasia gingival: long, dark hair covered her body. Expressions like ‘Ape Woman’ were used to incite audiences to her performances; after her death, she was embalmed and exhibited for another hundred years before disappearing from public view. From 2003 to 2013, Laura Anderson Barbata pursued the arduous task of bringing Pastrana home to Sinaloa for a dignified burial. In performances, zines, videos and a book, Anderson Barbata sheds light on how the systems that justified Julia Pastrana’s exploitation still operate today.