The debate is not new in the megalopolis which houses the largest arenas in the world, which can accommodate 50,000 spectators.
But this is the first time the local parliament has had to vote on a ban.
After the approval of the text in Committee in December, the Assembly of the State of Mexico must decide soon in plenary.
To defend bullfighting, aficionados and professionals liken their cause to that of the LGBTIQ+ community or to supporters of the decriminalization of abortion, arguing that the era is one of "respect for minorities" and "free thought".
In this context "where does this word + ban + come from?" Asks AFP Rafael Cué, columnist and member of Mexican Bullfighting, an association that brings together aficionados, bullfighters, breeders and bullfighting companies.
Anti-bullfighting activists demonstrate outside the bullring in Mexico City on February 5, 2022 Pedro PARDO AFP
One of the strongholds of bullfighting in Latin America, Mexico City is also a progressive city, a pioneer in the country on issues such as gay marriage, abortion and animal welfare.
Mexican bullfighting thus openly raises the question of whether "public authorities" can impose "moral choices of a group of society on the rest of the citizens".
"We could thus prohibit the voluntary termination of pregnancy or homosexual marriage", defends the association in a press release.
According to her, initiatives that seek to ban shows with animals receiving abuse must be debated from the point of view of "liberties" and not "tastes, fashions or political correctness".
The promoter of the text in favor of the ban, the local left-wing deputy Jorge Gaviño, denounces an argument that considers that "animals are things" and ignores the concepts of "diffuse law" where acts of animal abuse in public spaces have an impact on members of society.
Matador Octavio Garcia "El Payo" fights a bull in the bullring in Mexico City, February 5, 2022 Pedro PARDO AFP
"It affects me indirectly when a + sensitive + animal is killed or injured in a public space for entertainment. It affects my life in society, so I have the obligation and the right to act against this supposed right to a minority third," he said.
Economic weight
Juan Pedro Llaguno, a 22-year-old bullfighter, son and grandson of a breeder, says he "very often" killed animals he had known since they were born.
"Having the privilege of facing (this animal) in the arena is the best thing because I have known him since he was little and in the end I can come into the arena with him to produce something something unforgettable", he defends to AFP.
Matador Miguel Aguilar strikes a bull in the bullring in Mexico City on February 5, 2022 Pedro PARDO AFP
For the young matador, a brave bull "is born to be fought" and to die in the arena.
"It's the way to say goodbye to life with dignity, the public recognizing his bravery", he argues.
Four Mexican states prohibit bullfighting: Sonora, Coahuila (north), Guerrero (south) and Quintana Roo (southeast).
Seven others, conversely, have protected it as cultural heritage.
The bullfighting world insists on the economic weight of this activity in Mexico City: in 2018, before the pandemic, bullfighting generated $343 million in revenue, with 80,000 direct jobs and 146,000 indirect jobs, according to sector figures confirmed by the Secretariat to Agriculture.
But for the deputy Gaviño, who affirms that "we can scientifically prove" that animals suffer during bullfights, it is inadmissible that economic arguments slow down the ban.
The debate around bullfights is also open in other Latin American countries with a bullfighting tradition.
A dead bull, pulled by horses out of the bullring in Mexico City, February 5, 2022 Pedro PARDO AFP
In Venezuela, where judges recently banned bullfights in two states, a law is being debated to ban shows that abuse animals.
In June 2020, the city of Bogota decided to ban the abuse and death of animals during bullfights.
Conversely, in Peru, which has more arenas than football fields, the Supreme Court rejected their ban the same year.
© 2022 AFP