When, at 47 years old, Enedina Canul decided to play ball, nothing stopped her, neither her husband nor the social conventions of her small indigenous community, much less the lack of resources.
From a tree branch she carved her own bat and took a baseball from her husband. Already on the improvised playing field, she realized that she couldn’t run with sandals, so she took them off and started running barefoot.
Her determination inspired other women in Yaxunah, a small indigenous people from the Yucatan jungle, who formed a team they called The Amazons of Yaxunah.
The struggle of the unique women’s softball team, whose members are known for playing barefoot and wearing traditional costumes, is the center of the documentary “The Amazons of Yaxunah“, which premieres this Sunday in the International Latin Film Festival from Los Angeles, in the United States.
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The documentary features narration by Mexican actress Yalitza Aparicio, Oscar-nominated for her role in “Roma,” and will be available on ESPN in English and Spanish in September.
“My husband told us: ‘It’s not right for women to go out and play, what are they saying?'” Enedina told AFP hours before stepping on the red carpet for the premiere of the documentary. “But I told him: ‘That doesn’t matter to me. (This is) what I like since I was a child, I now have the opportunity to play it again and I’m going to do it,'” she added.
Baseball was Enedina’s passion in her childhood, but due to social ideas she stopped playing. “The woman is from the house,” that phrase marked her tradition in her community, says the mother of four.
The idea to return to the countryside came when, in 2017, a government program suggested dancing in Zumba classes to combat obesity in the small community.
Choosing softball was such a controversial proposition that it cost some Amazons their marriages. But Enedina did not give in.
The fame of the Amazons crossed the jungle thanks to a video that spread on social networks and went viral. It was a matter of time before the cameras arrived in Yaxunah to photograph this group of women playing ball in huipil.
The story caught the attention of a producer working with ESPN, who contacted documentary director Alfonso Algara to work on the project.
What captivated Algara, 38, was that “each of them was in their own fight.”
“Talking about four years ago and now there is a big difference, because even the machismo we are already sort of getting rid of little by little,” says Sitlali Poot, captain and daughter-in-law of Enedina.
Enedina remembers that on one occasion her husband, who died a year and a half ago, told her: “I am proud of you.”
With recognition came trips to compete in other cities, even in the United States.
“Let’s play cool!” Sitlali encouraged his colleagues before entering the field at Walnut High School in California, where, this Friday, they played a friendly match with the school team. “It doesn’t matter if we lose,” he added, looking at the Amazons formed in a circle. “The important thing is that we show what we know how to do. That’s what we’re here for.”
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