Jóvenes choles chokwinik: más allá de lo binario en escuelas indígenas del municipio de Palenque, Chiapas

The article aims to understand the tension between the normative structures of the sex-gender system and the construction and reaffirmation of identity among young ch’oles chokwinik in secondary schools in the municipality of Palenque, Chiapas. From a qualitative methodology with an ethnographic approach, the study was conducted in two telesecundarias and one technical secondary school through in-depth interviews, participant observation, and focus groups with eight young people from three communities. The findings reveal the school as a space for the reproduction of heteronormativity through the hidden curriculum, teacher omission, and everyday ractices of surveillance, which generate experiences of discrimination and isolation. Although the study is situated in a regional context, its contribution lies in making visible dissident sex-gender identities within a Maya Ch’ol context, contributing to the debate on the coloniality of gender and Indigenous education, and highlighting the need for a critical intercultural education that recognizes sex-gender diversity.