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Pasqual Piñón (1889–1929), known as The Two-Headed Mexican, was a performer with the
Pasqual Piñón (1889–1929), known as The Two-Headed Mexican, was a performer with the Sells-Floto Circus
The Sells Floto Circus was a combination of the Floto Dog & Pony Show and the Sells Brothers Circus that toured with sideshow acts in the United States during the early 1900s.
History
Frederick Gilmer Bonfils and Harry Heye Tammen owned the fi ...
in the early 1900s. A railroad worker from Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
, Piñón was discovered by a sideshow promoter whose attention had been caught by a large benign cyst
A cyst is a closed sac, having a distinct envelope and division compared with the nearby tissue. Hence, it is a cluster of cells that have grouped together to form a sac (like the manner in which water molecules group together to form a bubble ...
or tumor
A neoplasm () is a type of abnormal and excessive growth of tissue. The process that occurs to form or produce a neoplasm is called neoplasia. The growth of a neoplasm is uncoordinated with that of the normal surrounding tissue, and persists ...
at the top of Piñón's head. The promoter drafted Piñón into his freak show
A freak show, also known as a creep show, is an exhibition of biological rarities, referred to in popular culture as "freaks of nature". Typical features would be physically unusual humans, such as those uncommonly large or small, those with ...
and had a fake face made of wax to place onto the growth, allowing the claim that Piñón had two heads. Some reports state that it was made of silver
Silver is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₂erǵ-, ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, whi ...
and surgically placed under the skin. After several years of touring, the circus manager paid to have the growth removed, and Piñón returned to Texas.
While it is possible for a person to have two heads, the condition craniopagus parasiticus, a form of conjoined twins, sees one head upside-down on top of the other – Piñón's "second head" was oriented like his actual head.
The novels ''Downfall'' and ''The Book about Blanche and Marie'' by Per Olov Enquist feature Piñón, though they portray the story as factual and, in the former book, make the second head female.
The short fictional story ''My Pet Trilobite'' by Kristin Harley, published in ''Ricky's Back Yard – Cult'' issue (vol. 1, no. 1), features Piñón, narrated by the other head who is in physical and political conflict with him.
See also
*Edward Mordake
Edward Mordake (sometimes spelled Mordrake) is the apocryphal subject of an urban legend who was born in the 19th century as the heir to an English peerage with a face at the back of his head. According to legend, the face could whisper, laugh or ...
References