Taking to the ring, La Dama del Silencio – The Lady of Silence – knew how to captivate an audience.
Her real name was Juana Barraza, and she had a passion for lucha libre – a style of professional wrestling originating from Mexico.
Donning a colourful mask, wrestlers perform high-flying manoeuvres, aiming to pin their opponent to the floor. The loser must then remove his mask.
For Juana, performing to an adoring crowd was miles away from her early life.
Juana did not have the best start to life.
Born to parents Justa Samperio and Trinidad Barraza on 27 December 1957, Juana grew up in Epazoyucan, Hidalgo, a rural area north of Mexico City.
Her mother was a sex worker, and her father was a
