ACTIVITIES

Visit the display on lucha libre in the mask exhibit
at the Arizona State Museum

Read the information presented and then match each famous luchador listed below with the information that pertains to him. Note that one of the luchadores profiled here is not mentioned in the information at the Museum, but if you get the other three correct, you’ll be able to figure him out by process of elimination!

1. Born in rural Nuevo Leon in 1922, his real name was Alexander Munoz Moreno. He starred in 25 films and retired from the ring in 1988. When he died in 2000 at the age of 78, he was buried in his mask.

2. The most beloved luchador in lucha libre history, Rudolfo Guzman Huerta was born in 1919 in the state of Hidalgo. He was famous for his silver mask that he never removed. He retired from the ring a year after the wrestling debut of his son. He was buried wearing his mask.

3. One of the original dark and eccentric stars of the world of lucha libre, he was born in 1909 in the state of Guanajuato. He was known for making spectacular entrances that included the release of live bats. A rudo, he became legendary as a heartless villain.

4. Aaron Rodriguez was born in Mexico City in 1939. The first luchador character created specifically for the movies, he was successful in part because he had been a contender for the Mexican Olympic judo team.

____ El Santo (The Saint)    ____ Murcielago (Bat)
  
____ Mil Mascaras (Thousand Masks)    ____ Blue Demon

Answer key located at the bottom of this page following “Wheels Are Turning”

Discovery Detours

Imagine that you are a luchador. Would you be a rudo or a technico? Design your mask and your costume. What would your name be? Brainstorm a list of descriptive words and action verbs that would pertain to your character. Then write and illustrate a story that details one memorable wrestling match in which you participated.

Think Tank

Discussion questions for the whole family to consider: Brainstorm other stories or legends you know of in which the hero wears a mask. What purposes do the disguises serve? Is the hero ever unmasked? If so, under what conditions and what is the result?

Going the extra mile.
In 1994, Subcommandante Marcos emerged as the high-profile, masked leader of the Zapatistas, a rebel group in the Mexican state of Chiapas. Never seen in public without his trademark black ski mask, Marcos and his army enjoyed a great deal of public support as they fought for the rights of indigenous groups. Given what you’ve learned about the role of masks in Mexican culture, why do you think Subcommandante Marcos chose to disguise himself in
this way?

Wheels Are Turning

Parents and Caregivers: These activities can help your child meet Arizona’s educational standards. The standards addressed here include:

W-R1. Relate a narrative, creative story, or other communication by drawing, telling, and writing (K)

W-F3. Write a personal experience narrative or creative story that has a beginning, middle, and end, and uses descriptive words or phrases to develop ideas and advance characters, plot and setting. (Grades 1-3)

W-E2. Write a personal experience narrative or creative story that includes a plot and shows the reader what happens through well-developed characters, setting, dialog, and themes and uses figurative language, descriptive words and phrases. (Grades 4-8)

3SS-E6. Describe the economic, political, cultural, and social processes that interact to shape patterns of human populations, interdependence, and cooperation and conflict. (Grades 6-8)

Answer key to the Arizona State Museum exercise located at the top of this page:
El Santo = 2, Murcielago Velazquez = 3, Mil Mascaras = 4, Blue Demon = 1