Two Mexican-style sports: wrestling and boxing
Experience the popularization of wrestling and boxing in Mexico as a way of life in and out of the ring.
Fución de lucha libre by AGN, Archivos Fotográficos, Hermanos Mayo, Concentrados, Sobre HMCN 0362-1Archivo General de la Nación - Mexico
In its diversity, sport, seen from the active practice of performing a physical action, a competitive activity, such as a hobby or a show, is loaded with meanings that impact society, its values, its culture and the identities that make it up.
Público en función de lucha libre by AGN, Archivos Fotográficos, Hermanos Mayo, Concentrados, Sobre HMCN 0362-1Archivo General de la Nación - Mexico
For direct practitioners it certainly represents a form of self-mastery, self-improvement and self-affirmation, while for viewers an aspiration, a projection and an identification.
Sinopsis de una pelea de boxeo (1923) by AGN, Propiedad Artística y Literaria, caja 423. exp. 4671Archivo General de la Nación - Mexico
Boxing and wrestling since the early twentieth century managed to take root in Mexican society, despite the popularity enjoyed by football. Gyms and then sports arenas became places of great shows that monopolized the attention.
Pelea de boxeo en Estados Unidos (1923) by AGN, Propiedad Artística y Literaria, caja 423. exp. 4671Archivo General de la Nación - Mexico
These shows became reasons for conversation in various areas of the community, together with the projection given by the first mass media such as newspapers and radio that broadcast the fights live.
Pelea de boxeo en Estados Unidos (1923) by AGN, Propiedad Artística y Literaria, caja 423. exp. 4671Archivo General de la Nación - Mexico
Prominent boxers such as Luis Ángel Firpo fed the pages of the press and other media such as photographs, which contributed to disseminate their exploits and turn them into international idols of the public.
Peleador de box con sombrero de charro (1949) by AGN, Archivos Fotográficos, Hermanos Mayo, Cronológico, Sobre HMCR 03819Archivo General de la Nación - Mexico
These two disciplines of foreign origin arrived in Mexico in the mid-nineteenth century and throughout the twentieth century became so popular that a stamp of our local culture was appropriated, as seen in the photograph of Chucho Ruiz celebrating his victory, with a Mexican hat.
Boxeador entrenando en gimnasio (1925) by AGN, Archivos Fotográficos, Colección Díaz, García y Delgado, Caja 7-22Archivo General de la Nación - Mexico
On boxing, some sources narrate that American migrants established academies in the 1860s where soldiers attended who, astonished, joined the practice. Over time the audience diversified, as seen in records from the 1920s.
Boxeadores cara a cara (1928) by AGN, Archivos Fotográficos, Colección Díaz, García y Delgado, Caja 22-26Archivo General de la Nación - Mexico
The armed struggle that began in 1910 forced the suspension of all sporting activity until the 1920s. Boxing returned to practice in elite sports clubs, whose owners organized the first professional meetings in the Arena Modelo.
Encuentro de box (1928) by AGN, Archivos Fotográficos, Colección Díaz, García y Delgado, Caja 22-26Archivo General de la Nación - Mexico
With the rise and professionalization of boxing, the great fighters emerged in Mexico, who obtained the Olympic medal in this discipline by Francisco Cabañas, in Los Angeles in 1932 and the first world championship in 1933 by José Pérez Flores.
Promotores de boxeo (1928) by AGN, Archivos Fotográficos, Colección Díaz, García y Delgado, Caja 22-26Archivo General de la Nación - Mexico
The massification of boxing in the 1930s made it a way to earn a living for many practitioners, who in most cases did not arise from large gyms or academies, but had been hitting hard from an unfavorable economic position.
Nota periodística sobre el encuentro entre Kid Azteca y Rodolfo Chango Casanova (1936) by AGN, Biblioteca-Hemeroteca Ignacio Cuba, El Universal, 16 de mayo del 1936.Archivo General de la Nación - Mexico
Examples of this were Luis Villanueva, Kid Azteca, and Rodolfo Chango Casanova, considered the first great boxers. The first was born and grew up in one of the great cradles of boxing, the neighborhood of Tepito, but he was also forged in the rings of the north of the country.
Nota periodística sobre el encuentro entre Kid Azteca y Rodolfo Chango Casanova (1936) by AGN, Biblioteca-Hemeroteca Ignacio Cuba, Excélsior, 16 de mayo del 1936.Archivo General de la Nación - Mexico
The Chango came from the city of Guanajuato, but from a very young age he arrived in the capital, settled by the directions of Peralvillo and La Lagunilla. On May 16, 1936 Kid Azteca and Chango"Casanova faced off at the National Arena, in an event of great relevance in the country.
Pelea de box vista desde el público (1925) by AGN, Archivos Fotográficos, Colección Díaz, García y Delgado, Caja 7-22Archivo General de la Nación - Mexico
The identification of the boxer as a character emerged from the popular neighborhoods of the cities brought with it the emergence of the first idols, as well as the looks of the public.
La arena de boxeo disfrutando de un encuentro (1928) by AGN, Archivos Fotográficos, Colección Díaz, García y Delgado, Caja 22-26Archivo General de la Nación - Mexico
However, within the crowded arenas the social difference was also experienced, since people from strata with greater purchasing power could access the area closest to the ring. Only the ringing of the bell, the fury and the screams diluted the class distinctions.
Nota periodística sobre la inauguración de la temporada de lucha libre en México (1933) by AGN, Biblioteca-Hemeroteca Ignacio Cuba, El Universal, 16 de mayo del 1933.Archivo General de la Nación - Mexico
By the 1930s the Arena Modelo, an enclosure built in the early twentieth century to hold boxing events, was totally abandoned. This was taken advantage of by the Jalisco businessman Salvador Lutteroth González, who ve
Vista de un encuentro de lucha libre by AGN, Archivos Fotográficos, Hermanos Mayo, Concentrados, Sobre HMCN 1532-1Archivo General de la Nación - Mexico
These shows began to have some success. Salvador used this space for many years to house his company: the Mexican Wrestling Company (EMLL).
Tap to explore
Current view ofthe interior of the Colosseum Arena.
Luchador aplicando castigo a su rival by AGN, Archivos Fotográficos, Hermanos Mayo, Concentrados, Sobre HMCN 1532-1Archivo General de la Nación - Mexico
While wrestling was a sport that came from the 1860s with sporadic exhibitions without reaching greater transcendence. It was not until the twentieth century when foreign companies began to use the main theaters of the capital to present functions.
Luchadores antes de iniciar el combate by AGN, Archivos Fotográficos, Hermanos Mayo, Concentrados, Sobre HMCN 1532-1Archivo General de la Nación - Mexico
Although these first shows of the twentieth century were of interest to the public, as there was no regulatory body or specialized company for their practice in Mexico, they were limited to small exhibitions that lacked any characteristic that gave them identity and roots.
Encuentro de lucha libre (1953) by AGN, Archivos Fotográficos, Hermanos Mayo, Cronológico, Sobre HMCR 7027Archivo General de la Nación - Mexico
Until the arrival of the EMLL, the first steps of the popularization of wrestling were taken. This company adapted dissemination strategies by announcing attractive confrontations of several competitors with legends that alluded to the fact that the fight would end with a single winner.
Luchador enmascarado by AGN, Archivos Fotográficos, Hermanos Mayo, Concentrados, Sobre HMCN 1532-1Archivo General de la Nación - Mexico
Wrestling quickly placed itself in Mexican popular culture in the confrontation between good and evil, developing characters who wore flashy outfits and masks that alluded to the secret identity of superheroes.
Publico enérgico en la arena de lucha libre by AGN, Archivos Fotográficos, Hermanos Mayo, Concentrados, Sobre HMCN 0362-1Archivo General de la Nación - Mexico
The sides were divided into those who were coined terms of technicians, who faced the antagonists, the rough, who played the role of fighter who resorted to tricks and enjoyed messing with the crowd that he made inflame with his bad actions.
Llave aplicada en el cuadrilátero by AGN, Archivos Fotográficos, Hermanos Mayo, Concentrados, Sobre HCMN 1532-2Archivo General de la Nación - Mexico
The wrestlers began to be little more athletic who performed maneuvers of remarkable agility such as keys and throws from the ropes out of the ring, where the fight continued, generating greater interaction with the public, providing an unparalleled feeling.
Cartel de función de lucha libre (1953) by AGN, Archivos Fotográficos, Hermanos Mayo, Cronológico, Sobre HMCR 06797Archivo General de la Nación - Mexico
With the growing popularity of this show and the catharsis it caused, Salvador Lutteroth turned the National Arena into the Sunday meeting point par excellence, both for fans and for all those curious who wanted to experience the show.
Inauguración de la Arena Coliseo (1956) by AGN, Archivos Fotográficos, Hermanos Mayo, Cronológico, Sobre HMCR 09952Archivo General de la Nación - Mexico
This popularity was taken advantage of by the businessman who with the desire to give functions more days, embarked on the construction of the Colosseum Arena, which was inaugurated in April 1943. In less than a decade it became a must for wrestling lovers.
Vista área de la Arena Coliseo (1956) by AGN, Archivos Fotográficos, Hermanos Mayo, Cronológico, Sobre HMCR 09952Archivo General de la Nación - Mexico
As its appeal grew, the Colosseum began to crowd, which led Salvador Lutteroth to remodel the old Model Arena to have a larger capacity enclosure. So in 1956 the now called Arena Mexico opened its doors to become the cathedral of wrestling.
Tap to explore
Current view ofthe interior of the Arena Mexico.
Still de la película Santo contra Dr. Muerte (1958) by AGN, IMCINE, Colección Stills de Películas Mexicanas, caja 18, exp. 46Archivo General de la Nación - Mexico
Characters like the Saint became a significant element of Mexican culture. His figure became a popular superhero thanks to the management of his image in various mass media such as the cinema where his films stood out nationally and internationally.
Público en la arena de lucha libre by AGN, Archivos Fotográficos, Hermanos Mayo, Concentrados, Sobre HMCN 0362-1Archivo General de la Nación - Mexico
From the second half of the twentieth century boxing and wrestling became sports shows par excellence, a sign of identity of the people who found in the arenas a place of transgression, catharsis and significance.
Referencias Documentales:
AGN, Archivos Fotográficos, Hermanos Mayo, Concentrados, Primera parte, sobres: HMA/CN1/0362-1, HMA/CN1/1532-1.
AGN, Archivos Fotográficos, Hermanos Mayo, Cronológico, Primera parte, sobres: HMA/CR1/03819, HMA/CR1/7027, HMA/CR1/06797, HMA/CR1/09952.
AGN, Archivos Fotográficos, Instituto Mexicano de Cinematografía, Colección Gráfica de Películas Mexicanas, caja 18, exp. 46.
AGN, México Independiente, Gobernación y Relaciones Exteriores, Propiedad Artística y Literaria, caja 423. exp. 4671.
AGN, Archivos Fotográficos, Enrique Díaz, García y Delgado, cajas: EDDG/7/22 y EDDG/22/26.
El Universal, México, 16 de mayo del 1936, AGN, Biblioteca-Hemeroteca Ignacio Cubas.
Excélsior, México, 16 de mayo del 1936, AGN, Biblioteca-Hemeroteca Ignacio Cubas.
Universal, México, 16 de mayo del 1933, AGN, Biblioteca-Hemeroteca Ignacio Cubas.
