History of The Luche Libre Mask

Lucha libre (Spanish: “free wrestling”) is a term used in Mexico, and other Spanish-speaking countries, for a form of professional wrestling with a unique history in latin culture. Mexican wrestling is characterized by colorful masks, rapid sequences of holds, as well as "high-flying" maneuvers, some of which have been adopted in US professional wrestling.

The wearing of masks has developed special significance, and matches are sometimes contested in which the loser must become permanently unmasked, which is a wager with a high degree of weight attached.

The emergence of television transformed lucha libre’s first breakout superstar into a national pop-culture phenomenon. In 1942, lucha libre would be forever changed when a silver-masked wrestler, known simply as El Santo (“The Saint”), first stepped into the ring.  He made his debut in Mexico City by winning an 8-man battle royale.  The public became enamored by the mystique and secrecy of Santo's personality and identity, and he quickly became the most popular luchador in Mexico, ultimately rising to the status of a legendary comic book superhero.  Santo’s wrestling career spanned nearly five decades, during which he became a folk hero and a symbol of justice for the common man through his appearances in comic books and movies, while the sport received an unparalleled degree of mainstream attention.

Other legendary luchadores who helped popularize the sport include Gory Guerrero, who is credited with developing moves and holds which are now commonplace in professional wrestling; Blue Demon, a contemporary of Santo and possibly his greatest rival; and Mil Máscaras (“Man of A Thousand Masks”), who is credited with introducing high flying moves of lucha libre to audiences around the world.

The use of colorful masks (máscaras) dates back to thebeginnings of lucha libre in the early part of the 20th century, and holds a historical significance for Mexico in general, datin

g to the days of the Aztecs.  The earliest masks were very simple with basic colors to distinguish the wrestler.  In modern lucha libre, masks are colorfully designed to evoke the images of animals, gods, ancient heroes, and other archetypes, whose identity the luchador takes on during a performance.

Virtually all wrestlers in Mexico will start their careers wearing masks, but over the span of their careers, a large number of them will be unmasked. Sometimes, a wrestler slated for retirement will be unmasked in his final bout or at the beginning of a final tour, signifying loss of identity as that character. Sometimes, unmasking signifies the end of a gimmick with the wrestler moving on to a new gimmick and mask.

In luchador culture, the mask is considered "sacred" to a degree, so much so that fully removing an opponent's mask during a match is grounds for disqualification. During their careers, masked luchadores will often be seen in public wearing their masks and keeping up the culture and mystique of Lucha Libre.  Luchadores often go to great lengths to conceal their true identities; in effect, the mask is synonymous with the luchador.  El Santo continued wearing his mask even after retirement.  He revealed his face briefly only in old age, and was buried wearing his trademark silver mask.

Lucha libre has also transcended the language barrier to some extent as evidenced by works such as the childrens show the Los Luchadores, the animated television series ¡Mucha Lucha!, and the motion picture Nacho Libre.