Lucha libre masks

Mexico City, Mexico – 2011

Lucha Libre, ‘free wrestling’, is a unique Mexican sporting event characterized by the use of colorful masks. Masks (máscaras) have been a part of Lucha Libre since its inception in the early 20th century. The use of the masks in wrestling is related to the Aztec civilization and culture. In modern lucha libre, masks play an important part of the fight storyline, they are colorfully designed to evoke the images of animals, gods, ancient heroes, and other archetypes, whose identity the wrestler takes on during the fight.