After our first day of classes at school, the director sat down with us to let us know about some of the activities available throughout the week in Tlaquepaque and in Guadalajara. One of the activities that he mentioned was Lucha Libre on Tuesday evening in Guadalajara. For those who have never heard of this before, picture wrestling with crazy masks and costumes, an energetic crowd shouting nonstop, and food vendors selling items not normally seen in American sporting arenas.
The arena in Guadalajara has been hosting Lucha Libre for 50 years.
We purchased general admission in ringside seats, which in a small arena, were only 11 rows back from the ring! After making our way through the throng of spectators and vendors outside, an usher showed us to the best seats that we could have – facing the ring with the catwalk behind, on the aisle. While we had almost an hour to sit and wait for the main event to start, we passed the time people-watching and trying to figure out what all the vendors were selling.
Looks like a body slam is about to happen!
That evening, there were 5 total matches – 4 with men and 1 with women. They were all entertaining, alternating between pumping up the crowd and taunting their opponents. There were a couple that stood out to us, a large man dressed entirely in red like a devil, a smaller man dressed in orange with white fur around his face as a tiger, and a potbellied man with suspenders but no shirt. The crowd favorite, at least with the ladies, and headliner of the evening was a tall muscular man named Marco. In case anyone was in doubt as to his name, it was printed in large letters on the back of his ‘uniform’.
The red devil and his team at the end of one of the matches.
Ladies, check out Marco! But he wasn’t the only wrestler in the ring – this was the headliner of the evening!
There was a fog machine and fanfare each time a new opponent was introduced into the ring and a winning team for each of three rounds. Over the course of two hours, we saw body slams, choke holds, leg locks, power bombs, and flying dragon mares, all to the delight of the rambunctious crowd. Speaking of the crowd, there was clearly a divide between the ‘cheap seats’ in the bleachers and the ‘expensive seats’ in the ring. Each set of spectators had their own cheers, directed to not only the wrestlers but to others in the crowd. There was nonstop chanting, singing, cheering, booing, and yelling throughout the entire evening.
The fence separating the crowd – the seats surrounding the ring on the bottom and the bleachers up top.
Along with the more normal fare such as beer and popcorn, there was a wide variety of other items for sell by the vendors walking up and down the aisles. We saw a fruit vendor, selling melon, cucumber, and papaya topped with chili powder. There was a donut vendor, glazed or chocolate with sprinkles; Jon ate the latter but commented that it wasn’t as sweet as a donut from the USA. Another vendor was selling pig skin with sriracha, although we didn’t discover what it was until the next day when we asked our school director. My choice was what I called ‘Mexican nachos’ – chicharron with pico de gallo on top.
Jon with his beer and donut… those go together… right?!
My Mexican nachos! Very good but a bit spicy for me!
After the last match, we made our way out of the crowd and into the street to take a taxi back to our apartment. The fans were not ready to end the night, continuing to chant and sing as they left the building. It was a wonderful evening – an opportunity to view a bit of Mexican culture and experience something we wouldn’t ordinarily see ourselves. Although I think I’m safe, Jon’s brother and nephew will need to be on guard when we next see them – Jon will have some new wrestling moves to practice and show off!