Chapter two
The Hero
as a Young Girl
and where we meet our narrator
rowing up, Luca loved sports. She’d watch the pickup soccer matches in Plaza San Fernando and imitate the ball juggling tricks. After school, she'd join in pickup games of all kinds.
But she was especially fond of wrestling. She’d bug her sister and brother to wrestle every day. They'd both usually tussle with her, but when they didn't, she'd find anyone in the neighborhood to play with.
Her cousin Félix was also a bit of a wrestling fanatic, so they often hung out. Félix lived in a small hostel that his family ran near Guanajuato’s university. The hostel had a radio, and he and Luca would often listen to the pro wrestling matches broadcast from León and D.F. (the Distrito Federal). They would scour the newsstands and comic book stores for wrestling magazines, and then spend hours poring over them at the hostel while the wrestling matches played on the radio.
Family gatherings were common, and always featured Luca and her cousins running off to have a few wrestling matches after they tired of dancing. This is where Luca got the chance to practice the most as a youngster.
The city of Guanajuato lent itself well to freestyle wrestling: there were many meandering alleyways, hills, and staircases. They’d use the walls and staircase rails to jump off and against, doing aerial flips and other acrobatics. Luca loved acrobatics. As she practiced, she got really good at it, too.
At night the cousins would collapse, exhausted, on the carpet next to the fire, and fall asleep listening to their grandmother play lullabies on her guitar until they got ushered to bed by their parents.
meet Brujo
¡Hola! I’m Brujo, former ringleader of Las Luchadoras Clandestinas, which you’ll hear about later in our story. I’m lucky to be one of Luca’s good friends and closest confidants. I represented her as her agent, designed most of her special costumes for matches and events, and advised her in many matters throughout her career. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I'll be your narrator and guide, relaying Luca's story as she told it to me. Hope you enjoy it!
