The short story “They Will Dream in the Garden” was written by Mexican author Gabriela Damián Miravete in 2020. It follows the life of Marisela, fondly known as the Caretaker, as she bears witness to the impacts of misogyny and femicide. Drawing from her experience in the technology industry, Marisela creates holograms to honor her friends and other women in the community who have lost their lives to violence. Over time, the garden that houses her project is repurposed by the government into an educational center where students can interact with the holograms. Through a dialogue between Marisela and an apprentice teacher, the story of the garden gradually unfolds. Damián Miravete examines the effects of femicide through an ecofeminist lens, crafting a natural utopia within a tech centric dystopia. This stark contrast in settings allows the reader to grasp the deep intersections of femicide and climate change, issues that are often inextricably linked in the real world.

Damián Miravete sets the scene immediately as the short story begins, introducing a to-do list found in the pocket of Erika Nohemí Carrillo Enríquez, a woman abducted in Mexico in the early 2000s. The garden is then depicted as filled with orange trees, almond trees, and an ancient ahuehuete. The reader is invited to recall the sensations of silky fog, warm humidity, and sunlight on their skin as holograms begin to emerge in the garden at daybreak. While the reader may not be familiar with the specific flora and fauna of Mexico, the sweet scent of oranges and almonds serves as a universal sensory anchor, immersing them in the garden’s atmosphere. Damián Miravete employs the natural world as a touchstone, recognizing that humans from all walks of life share some connection to nature. By establishing a point of commonality and grounding the narrative in a natural setting, Damián Miravete creates an entryway for readers to engage with the topic of femicide. This familiar connection allows her to advocate and educate more effectively, drawing readers into the story’s deeper themes through a shared sensory experience.

Self-portrait by Gabriela Damián Miravete

Femicides in Mexico and across the world are just as much a part of reality as nature itself. Since 2001, more than 50,000 women have been murdered in Mexico. Globally, one woman is killed every ten minutes (Mexico: Boom in Organised Crime Making Femicide Invisible, Local Activist Says | UN News). Many of these women will never see justice, with the impunity rate for perpetrators in Mexico standing at 95% (Mexico: Boom in Organised Crime Making Femicide Invisible, Local Activist Says | UN News). Despite these alarming statistics, countless stories will go unheard, justice will remain elusive, and women will continue to be murdered. Yet, there is hope for the future. The work of Damián Miravete and many others brings the memories of these women into popular culture, much like the way the holograms are illuminated by the morning sun in the story’s opening. However, these creative works risk failing if their meaning is lost in translation—whether through language or lived experience. This is why “They Will Dream in the Garden” must transcend barriers, as it does through the experience of nature. By grounding the story in the natural world, it becomes relevant not only to those who have lost loved ones to femicide or to women alone but to the human experience.

Yet, nature itself is slowly being destroyed, with flora and fauna facing extinction due to the effects of climate change. Mexico, in particular, has been identified as “particularly vulnerable to the impacts of global climate change… many of which are irreversible.” These impacts include, but are not limited to, rising sea surface temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico, shifts in precipitation cycles, and increased hurricane intensity—placing immense strain on water resources, forestry, and agriculture (Mexico | UNDP Climate Change Adaptation). It is imperative that climate change initiatives be enforced for the well-being of humanity. By preserving nature, we not only secure resources for the future but also safeguard a powerful cornerstone that connects us all. Without the sweet scent of oranges and almonds—along with countless other natural experiences that may vanish due to climate change—Damián Miravete’s work begins to lose its form and deeper meaning, weakening its resonance. Similarly, when the garden closes, the holograms are turned off, and the women’s stories fade into silence.

Works like They Will Dream in the Garden demonstrate how the intersection of urgent issues like femicide and climate change intertwine, merging into a larger movement known as ecofeminism. The garden’s natural setting serves as an oasis, offering a space where both the holograms and the reader can confront the difficult topic of femicide in a way that becomes more accessible to the wider public. Both the principles of ecofeminism and Damián Miravete’s short story communicate the following: nature and women are suffering due to societal ignorance, neither women nor nature are receiving the justice they deserve, and both must be granted justice—achievable together through education and advocacy.

References

• Damián Miravete, Gabriela. “They Will Dream in The Garden.” Translated by Adrian Demopulos, JEU DE PAUME, 2020.
• Mexico | UNDP Climate Change Adaptation. https://www.adaptation-undp.org/explore/latin-america-and-caribbean/mexico. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.
• Mexico: Boom in Organised Crime Making Femicide Invisible, Local Activist Says | UN News. https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/12/1157811. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.

Featured images

• “No más feminicidios, Mexico City” by Denis Bocquet, available on Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY 2.0.
• “Gabriela Damián Miravete – Self portrait” by Gabriela Damián Miravete, available on Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.