For Christian Cymet, considered the largest collector of wrestling masks in Mexico, these pieces are works of art that deserve the care that is given to any object considered national heritage.

In interview with The Day, narrates that when he participated with his collection in an exhibition at the Museum of the Object of the Object, he requested as a condition that a mask of the Villain First, from the 60s.

They hired a restorer who learned how to do it, since he had never restored a mask; it was a great experience for both of ushe recalled.

Cymet has shown part of his collection in national museums, in the United States and in Japan. It has more than 2,500 masks, all used and fought, dating from the 50s to the present; “The oldest are from Santo, he Killer Doctor, Blue Demon y Black Shadow.

“I also have a photographic archive, equipment, programs, magazines, authentic hair, furniture, such as the prie-dieu used by the Santo in the chapel of his house, in addition to works of art related to wrestling, for example by artists such as Demian Flores, and photographs by Lourdes Grobet.

“In Guadalajara I participated in the Museum of Musa Arts, when the exhibition was held At home with my monsters by Guillermo del Toro. In Monterrey my masks were also presented and more than 100,000 people went to visit them.

“Out of the country, my collection has traveled to cities in the United States, such as San Francisco and Brownsville; they were also exhibited in Japan.

Last year they were mounted in an exhibition at the Contemporary Cultural Center of BarcelonaChristian Cymet detailed.

A childhood passion

For the collector, wrestling is part of the country’s tradition, recognized abroad, the mask has already become an icon of our culture. He started his collection when he accompanied his parents to search for antiques: I asked for old wrestling things and the antique dealers answered me that those were chatterhe added.

He also recalled that some Mexican wrestlers who went on tour to Japan right there sold some of their clothes, that is why there are many mask collectors in that countryfrom where Cymet repatriated a couple, such as that of Chicano blood and of Pharaoh.

“I am very traditional, I really like simple masks, because the ones from before, in addition to being simple, were very representative; if one observes the mask of the Santo, You don’t need to see the mask to recognize it, just by looking at the mask you know who it is; On the other hand, the masks of many current fighters are very similar; it is difficult to identify who they belong to”, concluded Christian Cymet.