Bakom

Bakom, also known as Vacón, is a Peruvian martial art created during the early 1980s by former commando and street fighter Roberto León Puch Bezada.

History

The art was created by Roberto Puch ( in Martinete), a resident of the third block of Caylloma street, in the historic centre of Lima, a once-dangerous part of the city. The oldest of eight children, Puch was born in Barrios Altos, growing up in the neighbourhood's then crime-ridden areas, such as Cinco esquinas, where he saw kicking duels as a child, eventually learning self-defence techniques from a Chinese mentor at the city's Chinatown. A troubled relationship with his father () due to his behaviour led him to be sent to a boarding school. He eventually graduated from the COEDE School of the Peruvian Army, serving as a commando and later working as a member of the intelligence service.

Both the fighting style and its creator's fame reached its peak during the 1980s and 1990s. In the early 1990s, he was interviewed by Jaime Bayly in his programme ¿Qué hay de nuevo?, also being featured in the biographical miniseries '. After his appearances on Peruvian television, he became a bodyguard for a number of celebrities and politicians, eventually becoming a curandero, opening a workshop on Moquegua street.