Craig Austin Evans

Luchador Series focuses not on the sport but on the mask and what it hides. The mask itself is the wrestler’s persona. But under the mask is a person that feels, worries, smiles, and cries. 

 

In the early 1900s Mexico was going through a revolution. In order to distract the people from the war two Italian men organized and created the Lucha Libre, literally translated “Free Fighting”. 

 

In the 1930s an ex-revolutionary colonel created the first Mexican wrestling organization Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre. It was here where the masks were first used. 

 

The Rudo (bad guys) traditionally were corrupt policemen, ugly, hairy bullies, and drunks. And the Tinico (good guys) were humble, friendly, and generous characters. The more the personas reflected the cultural issues the more the audience connected with their storylines leading to the matches.

 

In the 1950s a wrestler named El Santo (The Saint) became the first comic book hero of Mexico. He starred in 52 movies and was the nation’s real life superhero. He started wearing his mask in public in the 30s and continued wearing it well after retirement. A director from one of his movies once reflected back on a time when the cast and crew were flying to Miami and El Santo took a separate flight so no one would see him without his mask. In 1984 on a Mexican talk show El Santo was being interviewed about his career and post career. Suddenly while answering a question, without explanation, he lifted his mask and showed his face. His face was described as humble, tired, with dark bags under his eyes as if he was a retired tradesman or factory worker. He pulled his mask back down. Ten days later he passed away of a heart attack and was buried in his mask. 

 

I’m intrigued by the mask, not the bright colors or metallic material that reflects the light in interesting ways. It isn’t the persona that the mask represents. It is what’s hidden underneath that mask. The real person that is never seen. What I want to reflect in my Luchador Series is behind every mask there is reality. Behind those personas there are real people.

 

Though rarely revealed the truth exists beneath the mask.