In Mexico, where the masked stars of “lucha libre” wrestling are already cultural icons, people are using their colorful masks to ward off the disease in style. | AFP
The handmade masks use the same colors and designs worn by the most famous wrestling stars and are produced by a 53-year-old former wrestler, Jose Isaias Huerta, known in his days in the ring as “The Grey Cat.”
Huerta sells them for 50 pesos apiece — almost 10 times the price of a conventional mask sold in packets of 10 in pharmacies, which are not as thick as his.Huerta made his amateur debut in the wrestling ring at age 11 and had his first professional bout when he was 14. Since then, he has never strayed far from the canvas.After retiring, he got his hands on a couple of old sewing machines and started turning out –- together with his sister –- masks for both professional wrestlers and their fans.
That was when his son-in-law noticed how useful and attractive the mask could be for Mexicans facing the airborne virus. “They don’t really understand what is going on and putting on the mask of a luchador makes them feel like superheroes, while it also protects them,” he said.The walls of Huerta’s poorly lit workshop, where he works furiously to meet his orders, are covered with old newspaper cuttings and photos of him in his glory days as The Grey Cat.
Every day, they have to figure out how to send packages to far-flung parts of the country, like prosperous Monterrey in the north.
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