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The Mask of Santo

Masks were once common in rural Mexico. On a village's saint's day, peasants donned masks and performed in the dances and parades of the fiesta. The masks were made of wood, bone, cloth, and wax and represented tigers, goats, donkeys, bats, lizards, deer, birds, serpents, rabbits, caimans, monkeys, and armadillos. These animalistic images were usually vestiges of pre-Hispanic gods. Death and various demons were also popular. The peasants believed that their identities rested in their faces; when they wore a mask, they hid their true identities and were transformed. They became gods and had the power to convert the brutal world of animal spirits they inhabited into one that was fertile and life-giving.

In 1934, an American wrestler brought a leather mask and a local wrestler by the name of Lutteroth liked the idea. He was dubbed El Enmascarado, "The Masked Man," and fought a few matches against other Americans in Mexico City. This mask provided the model for all those that have followed: form-fitting and covering the entire head.  

A popular adventure novel in Mexico City of the 1930s was 'The Man in the Iron Mask' by Alexander Dumas. Louis XIV of France imprisons Phillippe, his twin brother, in a castle and tortures him until the end of his days by having his head encased in a mask that is impossible to remove. When Philippe's true love finds him at the end, the interior of the mask is rusted with his tears. After reading this book, a young wrestler named Rudy Guzmán decided to model his masked character after The Man in the Iron Mask. He became El Santo, El Enmascarado de Plata ("The Saint, The Man in the Silver Mask"), the most famous Mexican wrestler of all time.

Rudolfo Guzmán Huerta moved to Mexico City and quickly fell in love with 'lucha libre'. He trained at Police Casino gym and in 1939 made his wrestling debut as Rudy Guzmán in one of the city's smaller arenas. A promoter suggested the fighting name El Santo and Rudy added "The Man in the Silver Mask" and the legend was born. Santo's costume was silver, and his mask sported the distinctive teardrop-shaped eyeholes.

El Santo moved quickly to build his name. He cultivated his reputation out of the ring and became known for being polite, generous, honest and kind to children. And most important: he never removed his mask. When a film crew traveled to Miami for a shoot, Santo flew on a different plane so nobody on the production would see his face when he removed his mask for customs. In his films he even wore his mask when sleeping and making out with the beautiful female Interpol agents.

Through wrestling, and also films and comic books, Santo became the first Latin American superhero. His mask was the equivalent of Superman's "S"—instantly and universally recognizable. Journalists assured fans that despite his fame, when he walked the streets without his mask he blended with the crowd, just a humble member of Mexico City's millions. When he finally retired in the early 1980s, Santo unmasked himself. Underneath he was humble, bald, with dark bags under his eyes, he looked like a retired factory worker or craftsman. In 1984 he died of a heart attack, and he lay in state once more masked as in life. Today nearly every young Mexican wrestler starts his career masked.