Juan José Cabezudo (died 1860) was a Peruvian chef and street-food vendor, who worked in

Lima Lima ( ; ), originally founded as Ciudad de Los Reyes (City of The Kings) is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín Rivers, in the desert zone of the central coastal part of ...

during the first half of the 19th century. Writers such as

Ricardo Palma Manuel Ricardo Palma Soriano (February 7, 1833 – October 6, 1919) was a Peruvian author, scholar, librarian and politician. His magnum opus is the ''Tradiciones peruanas''. Biography According to the official account, Manuel Ricardo Pa ...

wrote about his food as well as his homosexuality.

Biography

Whilst little is known about Cabezudo's early life, he is recorded as being of African descent. However, more detail has been recorded about his career and personality. Cabezudo was a chef, who had a street-food stall in the Escribanos portal, a place very close to the Plaza Mayor in Lima, where he served typical Peruvian dishes, including

tamale A tamale, in Spanish tamal, is a traditional Mesoamerican dish made of masa, a dough made from nixtamalized corn, which is steamed in a corn husk or banana leaf. The wrapping can either be discarded prior to eating or used as a plate. Tam ...

s. He also had a food stall at the exit of the

Acho bullring Acho is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Emmanuel Acho (born 1990), American football player *James Acho, American sportswriter *Sam Acho (born 1988), American football player as first name: *Acho (vice-chancellor), 13th-cent ...

. When Simón Bolívar left Peru, Cabezudo was commissioned to cook the farewell dinner. Cabezudo's food stalls were widely known in Lima at the time, and he was commercially successful. Nevertheless, he gambled much of his earnings in games of chance at the Chorrillos spa. His homosexuality was also discussed by writers and journalists during his life. According to historian Magally Alegre, Lima in the 19th century was a city where gay men could lead comparatively open lives. According to historian Ricardo Palma, he died in Chorrillos in 1860, destitute.

Historiography

Cabezudo's life was first recorded by Peruvian historian

, who wrote a short biography about his fame, his

homosexuality Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" to pe ...

and his

transvestism Transvestism is the practice of dressing in a manner traditionally associated with the opposite sex. In some cultures, transvestism is practiced for religious, traditional, or ceremonial reasons. The term is considered outdated in Western ...

. The travel writer Max Radiguet mentions his life. He was also depicted in a series of watercolours by Francisco Fierro, as well as Francisco Javier Cortés, and was photographed by

Eugenio Courret Eugène Courret (1839 – 1920), known as Eugenio, was a French people, French photographer who was based in Lima, Peru. Biography Courret was born in Angoulême, the son of François Courret and Calixta Chalet. Courret came to Lima in 1860 to ...

References

External links

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Ño Juan José Cabezudo El maricón
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cabezudo, Juan Jose Date of birth unknown 1860 deaths Peruvian chefs Gay men Gamblers People from Lima Peruvian LGBT people 19th-century LGBT people Peruvian people of African descent LGBT chefs