PABLO SÁNCHEZ OLMOS Mexico City

Mexico City

Updated Monday, January 29, 2024-07:39

  • Bulls Bullfights return to Mexico City: "The dream is even closer"

  • Mexico Courts open the door to the possible return of bullfighting in the capital

More than

42,000 spectators

packed the stands of the largest bullring in the world this Sunday to celebrate the return of the bullfight to the Mexican capital, after 600 days without bullfights, silencing the anti-bullfighting protests called at the doors of the

Monumental of Mexico

. The recent decision of the Supreme Court to annul the suspension promoted by several animal associations has allowed bullfighting activity to be reactivated in

Mexico City

, even if temporarily. Faced with the abolitionist wave that sweeps through the American continent, Mexican fans claim their right to continue enjoying a tradition that continues to have roots and that generates thousands of jobs throughout the country.

The enthusiasm of the fans and the indignation of the anti-bullfighting protesters collided this Sunday around the Monumental de México. The police tried to build a wall between them, but the clash was inevitable. Around 200 people gathered with banners that read 'Killing bulls is neither culture nor tradition' or 'Bullfighters = murderers'. As the start of the bullfight approached, tempers flared at the height of gate 3. A group of protesters tried to knock down one of the access fences shouting "this square is going to fall." The riot officers prevented the assault and forced the fans to clear the area before

throwing stones, bottles and eggs

. Several spectators were attacked while waiting in line and a hooded woman who tried to jump into the venue was arrested.

Oblivious to the tension that was experienced a few meters away, most of the fans entered with the excitement of their first times. Some came to think that they would never again be able to enjoy the bulls at the Monumental; others are aware that they may never do it again.

Luis Carlos Zapata

is 87 years old and, as he explains to EL MUNDO, he has been attending the bullfights in this square for more than half a century: "I already thought I wasn't going to see it, so let's enjoy it while we can. Today's poster It's the least of it, this bullfight is historic."

Ezequiel Carranza

, another fan who comes with his wife and three children, confesses that in recent months: "I have had to watch the bullfights on television, with replays, but coming here is something else" and regrets that those who demonstrate outside , "they are people who don't know the party. In boxing, in car races or in cockfights, living beings also die, but they don't protest there."

The reopening of the Monumental has brought fans from all corners of the country to the capital. This is the case of

Laura

and

Fabián

, a couple originally from Xico, in the state of Veracruz: "We have traveled more than 600 km to be here. We left at 6 in the morning in a van along with 20 other people and we returned tonight , but it is worth the effort. It is important that in Spain they know that, in Mexico, the bullfighting fans demand respect. We understand that there are people who do not like it, but we must respect each other."

216 bullrings

After Spain, Mexico is the second country with the most bullfighting tradition in the world: in total there are 216 bullrings, 262 bullfighting ranches and 800 annual events on average, 80% of which are linked to civic and religious festivities. At a national level, the industry generates income of around

300 million euros and is responsible for 80,000 direct and 146,000 indirect jobs

. In statements to EL MUNDO, the president of the National Association of Fighting Bull Breeders, Ramiro Alatorre, highlights these figures to demand the continuity of the bullfights in the capital: "People have turned to the ticket offices and we are seeing queues that have not been seen for many years because people want to see bulls and want to claim their right to freely enjoy this tradition."

As Mexico is a federal country, the legislation regarding bullfighting is mainly divided into two currents: on the one hand there are those states where the practice has been expressly prohibited, such as Sonora, Guerrero, Coahuila and Quintana Roo, and on the other hand, those who have declared bullfighting as intangible cultural heritage, which in practice legally shields its celebration from possible attempts at abolition, such as Aguascalientes, Hidalgo, Guanajuato, Zacatecas, Querétaro, Tlaxcala, Colima, Nayarit, Michoacán, Jalisco and Baja California. In the midst of all of them, there are another 17 territories where the judicial 'tug of war' continues in dispute. The case of Mexico City is the one that monopolizes all the focus, since it is where the bullring with the largest capacity and

the third most important in the world is located, after Las Ventas in Madrid and La Maestranza in Seville

.

A provisional reopening

The first attempts to eliminate bullfighting in the country's capital date back to 2011, although it was not until 2022 when the anti-bullfighting movements achieved their first victory, when a federal judge definitively banned the celebrations and accepted the protection promoted by the civil association 'Justicia Justa', which alleged that the 'degrading' treatment of bulls violated the right to a healthy environment. The ruling forced Mexico's Monumental to cancel the 2022-2023 big season, a hard blow for an industry that was already severely affected by the pandemic. Finally, after 18 months of closure, on December 6, the

Second Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation

rejected the protection and endorsed the return of bullfights in the capital.

Although the news was widely celebrated among bullfighters, the resolution of the highest body only puts on pause the ban promoted by 'Justicia Justa', since the federal judge studying the case must still confirm whether or not to grant constitutional protection. that he would once again abolish bullfights in the capital. Its resolution will be known

on February 12

, although everything indicates that the judicial battle will be long. While the courts resolve the bullfighting future of the Mexican capital, the sector takes advantage of the parenthesis to make cash. Between January 28 and February 24, a total of 9 runs have been scheduled. The bullfighters

Joselito Adame, Diego Silveti and Roca Rey

starred in the poster of the first and successful reopening, where they fought before 42,000 spectators in an arena in which the word "Freedom" had been written in white lime.