Lucha Libre!
Popular Sport Figures Prominently in
Arizona State Museum’s Mexican Mask Exhibit

With a final grunt of exertion, the silver-masked hero sent his opponent sailing across the ring. Then, holding him to the ground with a crippling arm lock, he used his free arm to rip off his adversary’s mask, revealing his humiliated face to the roaring cheers of the crowd.

Move over Hulk Hogan, step aside Batista, you don't have anything on the wrestlers in lucha libre (loosely translated as “free-style fighting”), a sport popular in Mexico since the 1930s. Promoter Salvador Lutteroth is credited with bringing the first masked wrestler, an Irishman from Boston named John “Cyclone” MacKey, to Mexico City in 1934. The leather mask was originally a gimmick, but MacKey and Lutteroth did not realize until later the importance that masks play in Mexican culture.

Masks have long been an integral part of Mexico’s rich festival life. Aztec, Mayan, and other cultures of prehistoric Mexico used masks to commemorate life cycles, marriage ceremonies, and death rituals, to ensure favor from nature and the gods, in battle, and for entertainment.

Aztec warriors are believed to have disguised themselves as jaguars and eagles to fight against the conquistadors. Early church missionaries tried to eliminate Native masked ceremonies, replacing them with dramas that were rooted in Christianity. Rather than disappearing, many of the indigenous festivities became intermingled with Christian beliefs. The resulting rituals recreate historical events, teach Christian doctrine, and celebrate religious holidays, but in a distinctly Mexican manner where pre-Columbian worldviews are still apparent.

In contemporary Mexico, masks are commonly used in the sport of lucha libre. This is not as surprising as it might first appear. During the latter part of the twentieth century, large numbers of Mexicans began moving from the villages to the cities, particularly Mexico City, and the use of traditional masks declined. In the city, lucha libre took on the role that traditional masked dramas played in rural Mexico. Just as community values and the struggle of good versus evil are taught and reinforced in traditional masked dances and processions, lucha libre serves a vital social function as the masked wrestlers entertain and educate their spectators.

The luchadores are classified into two groups: the tecnicos (good guys) and the rudos (bad guys). The tecnico is the epitome of the working class hero-modest, upstanding, and clean fighting. The rudo is the opposite of the tecnico. Treacherous and backstabbing, he embodies the forces of evil. There may be as many as six luchadores in the ring at the same time. The classic match is mascara contra mascara (mask versus mask) in which two masked luchadores wager their masks. The loser is unmasked by the winner, revealing his true identity, as well as his mortality. If one of the luchadores does not wear a mask, the battle is known as mascara contra cabellera (mask versus hair), in which the loser either has his mask removed or his head shaved in the arena for all to witness. The longer a wrestler retains his mask or hair, the greater his prestige.

El Santo, Mexico’s most famous and well-loved luchador, kept his mask until after retirement, revealing his true identity only in old age. He was buried wearing his mask; the character had transcended the person. Also a very popular Mexican film star, El Santo burst onto the scene in the 1950s and 60s to vanquish his foes in over 54 movies (twice as many as Elvis) that have since become cult classics. Many more wrestlers such as Blue Demon, Huracan Ramirez, and Mil Mascaras also found fame on film.

Lucha libre is second only to soccer as Mexico’s most popular sport, but it is more than just a sport. Lucha libre is also theater, and it is unique in that there is a profound respect for the luchadores and their heroic, larger than life personas. They serve not only as symbolic champions of justice, but also champions for social causes. For example, the wrestler Superbarrio, literally “Super Neighborhood,” gave voice to some of the poorest inhabitants of Mexico City, who were evicted from the city center after the 1985 earthquake.

Lucha libre differs from professional wrestling in the United States and Canada in that the luchadores cannot rely on sheer size and strength to win. Luchadores are true athletes, renowned for their physical prowess, quick moves, and high-flying acrobatics.

Thanks to the old movies that have become cult classics, and popularity of the Cartoon Network’s current Mucha Lucha program, lucha libre has crossed the border to make fans of many norteamericanos as well. Whether live, or on the big or little screen, many fans on both sides of the border thrill to the action as luchadores reenact the age-old battle of good versus evil.

Visit the Masks of Mexico: Santos, Diablos y Mas exhibit at Arizona State Museum now through November, 2006. In addition to a wide variety of Mexican masks, both ancient and contemporary, the exhibit features a large display dedicated to lucha libre.

Tune-up Your Mind
Look for these books and related materials:

Lucha Libre: The Man in the Silver Mask (bilingual) by Xavier Garza
(Cinco Puntos Press)
Masks of Mexico by Barbara Mauldin (Museums of New Mexico Press)
Masks of Mexico (poster) by the Museum of New Mexico: Museum of
International Folk Art (Pomegranate)
Masks of Mexico (postcards) by the Museum of New Mexico:
Museum of International Folk Art (Pomegranate)
Masks of Mexico (video) distributed by Tellens, Inc.
The Secret World of the Aztecs by Ferdinand Anton (Prestel)

Details

Arizona State Museum
1013 E. University Blvd, Tucson
Located on the UA campus, just east of the main gate
at University Blvd. and Park Ave.

Information:
(520) 621-6302 • www.statemuseum.arizona.edu
$3.00 per person suggested donation

Hours:
10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday - Saturday
Noon to 5:00 p.m. Sunday

Prices and hours are always subject to change. Verify before you go.
Visit the Masks of Mexico: Santos, Diablos y Mas exhibit
now through November 5, 2006.

If You Go

Culture Craft Saturdays, free interactive, hands-on activities for the whole family, are generally offered on the second Saturday of each month. Try your hand at mask-making and much more at the next Culture Craft Saturday, Tamales, Pinatas, y Mas, on December 10, from 1:00-4:00 p.m. And mark your calendar for Saturday, April 8, 2006, when the topic will be lucha libre. Join artist and author Xavier Garza for a lively reading of his book, Lucha Libre: The Man in the Silver Mask, see films of Lucha Libre, and watch a wrestling match.

A visit to the exhibit on any day provides an opportunity to try on a variety of masks and to decorate your own paper mask to take home. Want to know more about lucha libre? Visit www.crizmac.com and click on the “Roads Scholar” link and then “Arizona State Museum” to print out a worksheet with clues to help you identify some well-known luchadores during your visit.

Fuel for Thought
Did you know...

Wearing yellow and red mask, a yellow leotard with “FT” emblazoned in red across the front, and a golden cape, Fray Tormenta (Friar Storm) fought incognito like most Mexican wrestlers. Throughout a career that spanned 23 years and some 4000 bouts, Fray Tormenta was known for his acrobatic moves, including double somersaults and mid-air kicks. What wasn't known, until recently, was the true identity of this fearsome luchador.

The gig was up when a parishioner, who happened to be a fellow wrestler called “Hurricane,” recognized that the voice and build of the priest who was celebrating mass at his village church matched those of his frequent opponent, Fray Tormenta. Hurricane approached the priest after mass. “You really are a priest,” he exclaimed. And so in a story of Superman-like proportions, it was revealed that the small, bespectacled man was a priest by day, and a luchador by night, raising money for the orphanage he founded outside of Mexico City. A soon-to-be-released Hollywood movie starring Jack Black documents the life of Reverend Sergio Gutierrez Benitez, otherwise known as Fray Tormenta.

For the Mouse-bound
www.statemuseum.arizona.edu
www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucha_libre
www.highspots.com/arena
www.gallista.com/garza

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