Welcome to El mas Santo

For the unsophisticated spectator, freestyle Mexican wrestling might be wrongly associated with American wrestling – the exaggerated show for hot-dog eaters and popcorn lovers. In Hispanic countries, most and foremost in Mexico, however, the wrestlers’ fights (luchadores) in their characteristic masks (mascaras) are something far more meaningful than just a simple entertainment for the masses. It is a modern mythology, where good fights evil, where the crowds of fans get carried away by the next generations of heroes; it is a very important part of Mexican culture and traditions, which became a substitute for theater and, eventually, cinema.

The origins of lucha libre go back to the beginning of the 20th century. Its heyday was in the 1950s, when El Santo, the most renowned and eminent luchadore in the history of the sport, started his career and soon became the ultimate hero of the people and the symbol of fighting for justice. That was when the wrestlers started to feature in comic books and movies, and their place in the Mexican pop culture might be easily compared to the place and magnitude of American superheroes. It was them, who – just like Superman or Spiderman in the USA – fought evil in all forms – monsters, mummies, aliens and the like – saving the world from annihilation.

Although not every luchadore wears a mask, it is this very element of the Mexican wrestlers’ costumes that is the most distinguishable and became the symbol of lucha libre. Throughout the years the masks evolved – starting from the very simple white mask worn by El Santo, with time changing into colorful patterned masks, which now often reflect the Mexican tradition and incorporate the animal world into their design. The idea of wearing masks by the luchadores comes from the Aztec heritage and is a way of impersonating a given character or figure. The wrestlers identify with their roles so much that many of them show their faces only after they have retired form their wrestling careers.