The First Grandmother Of Lucha Libre

The Méxicans like their wrestlers to wear masks.
And Doña Virginia Aguilera liked her wrestling more than most.
For over half a century (until her death in 1997, aged 97),
Doña Virginia never missed a single fight, always wore
her very best outfits to the arena, and was never seen
without her trademark umbrella - with which she would
often reprimand participants who refused to play by the rules.
When asked what she enjoyed most about the lucha libre,
she said it was the sight of; “Christians killing each other”.
Doña Virginia’s devotion was always to the ring. And always
to the sweat and the spectacle of her beloved luchadores.
Not for this grand Señora a shrine to our Lady of Guadalupe.
Instead, her most prized possessions were
the bloodied locks of shaved hair which she
collected from the canvas at the end of bouts,
and took home to be washed with soap and water
before hanging them on a clothes-line to dry.
When I was a boy, my Father would take me to watch
the wrestling at the old Winter Gardens in my home town.
He hated it, but he took me anyway because he was my Father.
And Father’s tend to do things like that for their sons.
Now maybe it’s a cultural difference, or maybe it’s
just a sign of the times, but the Father sat beside me
in the stalls today appears to be enjoying the high-flying action
just as much as either of his 2 sons; both
of whom are wearing shiny replica masks.
Wide-eyed, we enter into a whirlpool of catharsis;
living and dying with every back-flip from the top rope.
In this Olympian catch-as-catch can between Good and Evil,
we jeer at the rudos whilst giving applause to the técnicos.
We know our parts well. For we are all Doña Virginia’s grandchildren.
And not one of us can resist the salty scent of a fresh Christian kill.

Trailer for the documentary 'Super Amigos'

El Santo unmasks live on Méxican TV

The Méxican Wrestling Council's official website