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Arena Coliseo

The Arena Coliseo is Mexico City’s original lucha libre venue. Built originally to host boxing matches for fans from nearby Tepito, the arena pays the bills by packing the place with pro-wrestling fans. Sometimes called the “The Lagunilla Funnel” or “The Coliseo Funnel” for its dramatic circular funnel shape, it’s an important part of city-lore.

It was paid for originally by one Salvador Lutteroth, the so-called “Father of Mexican Wrestling.” He paid 40,000 pesos with National Lottery winnings and opened in 1943. The need for the Coliseo became apparent after a 1937 fire at the National Arena. Today the Coliseo is credited with being the first arena in Latin America with air conditioning. Some still claim it’s the nicest arena of its kind.

Tiny by arena standards, capacity is for just 6,863 guests. That the Coliseo remains open at all says something about Lucha Libre. Average monthly ticket sales are about 5,000. But in its time, the Coliseo contributed much to the city’s love of wrestling, in a time when televisions were still an expensive luxury. In 1956, when the Arena México opened at nearly three times the capacity, demand for Lucha Libre wrestling had reached an all-time high.

Today the Arena Coliseo is open three nights a week. Matches take place on Tuesdays, Fridays, and family-shows are on Sundays. Tickets can range from $100 in the general audience to $200 for rows 1 through 5. Check the CMLL website for current matches or purchase tickets from Ticketmaster, or at Liverpool or a number of other venues in the city.