THE LEGEND OF EL SANTO

THIS MASKED MEXICAN WRESTLER AND NATIONAL HERO LEAPT FROM THE RING ONTO THE BIG SCREEN. BUT WHO WAS HE?

- Callum McKelvie

In our modern world, folk heroes seem few and far between. Of course, there are fictional examples. In the early 1960s suave superspy James Bond embodied a postwar British fantasy, while in America superheroes such as Spider-Man personified the American spirit. But James Bond was an actor called Sean Connery and Spider-Man merely lines and ink. However, in Mexico one man came to unite the people, standing for justice both in and out of the ring: El Santo, or The Man in the Silver Mask. One of the icons of lucha libre - Mexican wrestling - El Santo was not only a master of his profession but also featured in comic books, numerous pieces of merchandise and over 50 feature films. His movies saw him face supernatural foes such as werewolves, vampires and even La Llorna - the terrifying crying woman of Mexican folklore. Not until his retirement did he publicly remove his mask and the lines between the real-life Santo and his fictional counterpart became increasingly blurred.

LUCHA LIBRE: THE HISTORY OF MASKED MEXICAN WRESTLING

The story of Mexico's love affair with masked wrestling begins with a man known as Salvador Lutteroth. In the late 19th century figures such as Enrique Ugartechea had helped pioneer lucha libre by hosting contests, based on the ancient Greco-Roman techniques, during the French Emperor Napoleon III's occupation of Mexico (1863-67). But it is Lutteroth who has to be considered the true 'father of lucha libre'. In 1933 Lutteroth and his business partner Francisco Ahumada brought a number of Texan wrestlers across the border for a series of matches in Mexico City. These displays were so popular that Lutteroth held further contests with wrestlers from Poland, Italy and Germany.

As the audiences for these events grew, several Mexican wrestling stars began to emerge. One of the first luchador enmascarado (masked wrestlers) was Jesús Velázquez Quintero, who debuted in 1936. In her book