Pasqual Pinon (1889–1929), known as The Two-Headed Mexican, was a performer with the Sells-Floto Circus in the early 1900s.
Medical condition
What Pasqual Pinon claimed to be a separate head, was in reality a large benign tumor or cyst growing protruding from his forehead. It is possible to have two heads, a condition known as craniopagus parasiticus, but Pinon’s appearance was proven to be a fake since a true parasitic head is always situated upside-down on top of the main head, as is the case with The Two Headed Boy of Bengal.
Life
Pasqual Pinon was born in Mexico in 1889 to a family of 7. His family was forced to move to Texas after losing his farm. He started out working as a railroad worker, until a sideshow promoter in 1917 found out about him. He decided that the huge tumor protruding for the head or Pinon was not odd enough and decided to create a fake face – a mask of wax, that was placed over his head. There have been some rumors that the mask was made of silver and was actually surgically implanted under the skin of the tumor. Pasqual Pinon explained, that the face was once mobile, but stopped at the age of 20 after having a stroke. His career as a sideshow performer only lasted about 2 years, but during that time, his popularity never came down. While playing in Detroit, he began to suffer from dementia, and it was found that the silver plate was compressing his brain. His manager paid for an operation to remove the enormous tumor, and it was presumed that Pinon returned to Texas to resume life as a laborer.