¡Estamos listos para una pelea!
That's right señores y señoras, lucha libre is taking over West Colfax.
On Saturday, July 22, the West Colfax Business Improvement District, Gum Pop Presents and Hugo's Lucha Libre will host the first-ever West Colfax Lucha Libre!, a block party filled to the brim with community and culture.
Dan Shah, executive director of the West Colfax BID, said the idea came about when he was having dinner at Los Mesones, a West Colfax eatery owned by Hugo Soto. Shah, his dinner guests and Soto began chatting about how they could partner up, and West Colfax Lucha Libre! Was born.
Soto's lucha promotion is entering its 10th year of bringing high flyers clad in colorful Lycra masks adorned with fur, feathers and makeshift horns to the Denver metro area.
Lucha libre is a form of professional wrestling with a deep history in Mexican culture.
The origins date back to the 1800s, and the sport was popularized in the 1950s and '60s with legends like Gory Guerrero, Blue Demon and Mil Máscaras, who took their acrobatic skills to Japan and the U.S.
Luchadors are all about the action. They typically perform more acrobatic moves and are more agile than their American counterparts.
The squared circle will be center stage Saturday at the intersection of West 16th Avenue and Raleigh Street.
In between matches, visitors can enjoy food, drinks and goods from one of the dozens of vendors including Los Mesones, D' Maracuchos Cafe and Mile High Spice Co. There will also be resources there from organizations like Mi Casa Resource Center and the West Denver Marketplaces. DJ Chula will provide the music and Espolon Tequila will provide the drinks.
Shah said the goal of the party is to promote neighborhood unity.
West Colfax is a neighborhood that's seen its fair share of gentrification. With an event like this, Shah said he hopes to see new residents mingling with long-term residents and integrating into the cultural norm.
"When you have gentrification as you have throughout the city, but certainly in West Denver, people are living side by side but not actually integrated," Shah said. "I really think that the concept behind [Lucha Libre] was the desire to try to meld the different communities...It's about trying to develop a sense of community cohesiveness, which I think is healthy for society anyway. It's good for the neighborhood. It's good for the business district."
The event on Saturday goes from 4-8 p.m. Come hungry for traditional foods like empanadas, pupusas and elotes. And come ready to see some action in the ring.
¡Que viva la lucha!
