Lucha libre is a genre of professional wrestling developed in Mexico and loosely translated into English as "free-style fighting." These masks are representative of Mexico's rich culture and reflect a society influenced by its past.

Historically, masks have been used in Mexico dating back to the early Mayans (1000-900 B.C.) Appearing as natural wonders and exotic animals, the Mayan gods were worshiped with masks during sacrificial cerimonies and other rituals. Upon the arrival of the Spanish conquerors, (1500-1800 A.D.) masks were used as continuity of the people’s beliefs. Today, masks are used in Mexican wrestling to evoke the images of gods, animals, ancient heroes, and other archetypes, whose identity the Luchador takes on during a performance.

Traditionally, all wrestlers in Mexico will start their careers wearing masks, but almost all will eventually be unmasked before the end of their careers. Sometimes, a wrestler slated for retirement will be unmasked in his final bout or at the beginning of a final tour, signifying loss of identity as that character. Some famous battles are based on the premise of Luchas de Apuestas (English: Matches with Wagers). The most iconic match is máscara contra máscara (English: mask versus mask), where two masked luchadores bet their masks, and the loser is unmasked by the winner and his real name is officially revealed. The older the luchador gets without being unmasked and the more times he successfully defends his mask, the higher his status.

Another well-known type of battle is máscara contra cabellera (English: mask versus hair), in which one masked wrestler and an unmasked one compete (usually the unmasked one has lost his mask to the masked one in a previous bout); if the masked luchador wins, the unmasked one has to shave his head (a further sign of humiliation). If the unmasked luchador is the winner, he keeps his hair and the loser is unmasked. For two unmasked wrestlers, there is cabellera contra cabellera, where the loser of the match has his head shaved.

During their careers, the masked luchadores will often be seen in public wearing their mask. In effect, the mask is synonymous with the luchador. El Santo (English: "The Saint"), Mexico's most famous and well loved luchador, kept his mask until after retirement, revealed his true identity only in old age, and was actually buried wearing his mask. The character had transcended the person. Sometimes Mexican wrestling is a family business where fathers pass their mask down to their sons after they retire. In one family there could be multiple wrestlers with siblings assuming different wrestling personas.

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