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

camino real hotel

The Camino Real Hotel. Since 1912, our Texas landmark hotel is ...

camino real hotel

The Camino Real Hotel. Since 1912, our Texas landmark hotel is ...

Alhambra Theater 1914

Alhambra Theater-front of building-automobile with men standing ...

Men in San Jacinto Plaza 1909

Men sitting on benches on both sides of the walkway reading the ...

Dallas Stoudenmire

Dallas Stoudenmire--famous marshall who was in the gunfight ...

Electric Streetcar

This electric streetcar operated between El Paso and Mexico. ...

Mounted Policemen on Santa Fe Street - 1901

Mounted policeman on horseback. All wearing dark colored ...

Texas Rangers in Front of El Paso County Court House

Group of Texas Rangers on the steps of the El Paso County Court ...

Highway Patrol

Image of nine men of the Highway Patrol lined up in uniform and ...

Hotel Sheldon

The Hotel Sheldon was built in 1900 but eventually burned down ...

International Mining Congress Delegates

Group of International Mining Congress Delegates. All dressed in ...

Grand Central Hotel

This is the Grand Central Hotel. Front View of the hotel--a ...

El Paso Street in 1881

The picture shows El Paso Street in 1881. At that time the ...

San Antonio Street in 1882

The image shows San Antonio Street in 1882. There are two wagons ...

Three Children on Donkey - 1910 - 1919

Three children on a donkey--a woman, maybe their mother, to the ...

El Paso, Texas Chamber of Commerce in 1910s

Image of the building of Chamber of Commerce in the 1910s.

El Paso, TX circa 1915

The picture is taken at the corner of Mesa Street and San ...

Grand Central Hotel - El Paso, Texas

The Grand Central Hotel was situated at Pioneer Plaza, at the ...

Union Bank Trust building

Union Trust Bank building, located on 104 East San Antonio ...

Old County Court House

The old County Court House was completed in 1886, but demolished ...

Carnegie Library

Carnegie Library around 1904 - Main Site of Today's Library

Sketch of El Paso from 1910s

This sketch from the 1910s shows the city of El Paso with the ...

Grecian Theater

The image shows the Grecian theater in El Paso. It was located ...

home.search_collection