Lucha Libre: Stories from the Ring, El Paso Edition

Lucha Libre: Stories from the Ring, El Paso Edition

The exhibition tells the history of Lucha Libre, its connections to the border region, and the stories that have come from the sport. Lucha Libre: Stories from the Ring, El Paso edition, will showcase stories, sponsors and memorabilia all related to local Lucha Libre history. The Museum of History has partnered with the City of Las Cruces Museums to bring the exhibition to El Paso. The original exhibition opened at the Branigan Cultural Center in Las Cruces, New Mexico, in the spring of 2020, but it had to be cut short because of the COVID-19 pandemic. "Lucha Libre has a rich history that dates back over a century and is characterized for its over-the-top performances and supposed macho atmosphere. Although, the theatrical sport is beyond that. Lucha Libre combines athleticism, theater, dance, story, and the visual arts. Lucha Libre became a popular sport in the early 1900s; however, the origins date back to the late 1800s. There was a form of wrestling in the United Sates that was more theatrical and included a stage. This form of wrestling influenced Italian businessman and veteran of the Mexican revolution Salvador Lutterroth to start a company called EMLL (Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre). After seeing several wrestling matches in El Paso, Texas, Lutteroth took his company EMLL to Mexico and began promoting shows through the 1920s and 1930s. The demonstrations were held in Mexico City and were classified as the poor man's sport because they were rudimentary and held in the poorest neighborhoods. The sport became extremely popular during the following decades and by the 1950s, luchadores began wearing masks, which was initiallv an American tradition. The masks were then used to develop a character and depending on the colors and designs used, the crowd could determine whether they were the tecnicos (good guys) or the rudos (bad guys). It became iconic after the debut of Santo el Enmascarado de Plata, a famous luchador and film actor. By the 1960s and 1970s other independent wrestling companies began to rival EMLL and helped grow the popularity of Lucha Libre. In the 1980s, a wave of luchadores activist began to emerge after a devastating earthquake in Mexico City. Many residents were left without a home, many were evicted, and the city had to be rebuilt. This social anxiety and unrest caused an assembly of Barrios to march and rally for the government to housing credits. Out of this unrest a luchador called Super Barrio emerged becoming the staple of the marches and protests. Since the 1980s Lucha Libre not only stands as a form of entertainment and cultural staple but as a symbol used to organize communities and stand for social inequalities. By the 1990s Mexican Lucha Libre was introduced to the United States, when several luchadores were featured on television. Since then, Lucha Libre has become a transnational phenomenon and recognized for thepresentation, athleticism, unique style, elaborate attire, masks, and stories. Lucha Libre: Stories From The Ring highlights Lucha Libre's cultural, historical, and social political importance whileshowing the fun, unique, cultural aspect of it." -Norma Hartell, Curator, City of Las Cruces Museums

Area: Central / Downtown

Source: El Paso Museum of History; Las Cruces Museums

Uploaded by: El Paso Museum of History

Comments

Add a comment
Thank you for your comment

Report this entry

Choose the most important reason for this report

Your name

Your email address

Optional detail

Thank you for your report

More from the same community-collection

Plaza Theater water fountain

Old water fountain in the Plaza Theater.

Plaza Theater 'coat room'

The old coat room in the Plaza Theater, it was used to store ...

The White House, Mills Building, and The Plaza Hotel

All of these famous El Paso landmarks in the historic Pioneer ...

The White House Department store

This department store has been around for over 100 years in one ...

Inside the White House - El Paso, Texas

One of the oldest and most well-known businesses in El Paso, ...

Me and the White House Department Store

This is a picture of me standing in front of the building that ...

Me y mi familia in Pioneer Plaza

Most of my family have grown up in this fine city. This is me ...

The Wyler Aerial Tramway

It looks very scary upon initial view but this was a very ...

Plaza theatre

The front of the plaza theatre, by the box office. (Me next to ...

John Wesley Hardin

John Hardin was a feared gunman of Texas. He is said to have ...

StreetFest 2010

Saliva performing at StreetFest 2010.

tricky falls

Tricky Falls in El Paso Texas is now an entertainment venue for ...

Soundcheck

Lead guitarist of local band "the genders", Alexia, tuning her ...

The Genders

lead singer of "The Genders" ,Mona, belts out an original song ...

Julia Bussinger - Visionary For The Digital Wall Says Goodbye

Julia Bussinger - Director of the El Paso Museum of History says ...

Christmas 2015

Working on the naitivity

Christmas 2015

Working on naitivity

Christmas 2015

Checking the lights and checking them twice

Christmas 2015

Christmas tree

Christmas 2015

Ready for assembly

Julia Bussinger

On December 3, 2015 - staff members said goodbye to Julia ...

Goodbye To Julia Bussinger

On December 3, 2015 - staff members said goodbye to Julia ...

Celebration of Lights

Photograph taken before the Celebration of Lights in Cleveland ...

home.search_collection