Bullfighting, like boxing, once offered young men a path out of poverty. Take César Rincón, Colombia’s champion matador. From humble beginnings in Bogotá, the capital, he became a millionaire thanks to his bravery and skill with the cape. In 1991, at the peak of his career, he was carried out of the world’s premier bullring in Madrid on shoulders (the matador’s highest honour) a record four times.
But in Colombia the corrida’s days seem numbered. Most people there are either indifferent or actively opposed to it. When a statue of Mr Rincón was toppled in the town of Duitama last year, the matador-turned-breeder was perplexed: “Colombia’s current president is a former guerrilla fighter—and I’m the murderer?”
That president, Gustavo Petro, Colombia’s first left-wing leader, banned bullfighting in Bogotá when he was mayor between 2012 and 2015. A lawyer, Felipe Negret, got the ban overturned by arguing that it was a cultural activity that fell under national rather than local jurisdiction. But after Mr Petro’s victory in the general election in 2022, Mr Negret’s argument was turned against him: Colombia’s Congress passed a blanket prohibition on bullfighting that comes into effect in 2027.
With the exception of Manizales, a rich provincial town with strong ties to Spain, bullfighting in Colombia is already on its knees. Few of the million-and-a-half revellers who attended the Cali Fair in December mourn its disappearance. A local matador, Luis Bolívar, used his contacts to bring in a number of famous matadors, the type who used to draw a crowd. But the main corrida, starting nearly two hours late in torrential rain, was a flop. The bulls, provided by Mr Rincón, simply refused to charge. Sections of the crowd chanted “Hay que matar” (“You’ve got to kill”), jeering Mr Bolívar for pardoning a bull two days earlier. (This honour, traditionally reserved for exceptionally brave bulls, has become more common in Colombia.) Mr Bolívar’s assistant bullfighter, Ricardo Santana, a local hero, was applauded for his brilliance with the bull. But as his taurine contracts dwindle, he now also has to work with computers in the United States.
The rich Colombians who attend corridas tend to be quick to follow Spanish trends. Julián Coy, president of Colombia’s main animal-rights group, was brought up watching Mr Rincón on television. As a child he thought bullfighting barbaric, but started to protest against it only after seeing anti-bullfighting campaigns bear fruit in Spain; separatist Catalonia banned it in 2011. Mr Coy says Colombia’s abolitionists are at a disadvantage, as the taurine lobby is part of the establishment. In 2019 Spain’s King Felipe awarded Mr Negret the Royal Order of Isabella the Catholic for defending Spanish tradition.
Just before midnight on January 9th, a nervous Mr Negret was ringside in Manizales. He crossed himself as his son, a trainee lawyer, walked out to face a young bull in front of a sold-out audience. Danger is never absent in the bullring. Mr Santana is in intensive care after a vicious goring. Youngsters hoping to forge a career often take crazy risks. Life-threatening injuries are referred to as “baptisms of blood”. (Mr Bolívar was 13 when he was first gored in public.) It is increasingly the wealthy who undergo this rite of passage. As local bullfighting schools close, talent is drawn from families that can afford trips to Spain.
Poorer Colombians are more likely to join itinerant troupes featuring dwarf bullfighters (recently banned in Spain), or become hired hands in amateur bullfighting festivals known as corralejas, where the audience is encouraged to take part. YouTube is awash with clips of stands collapsing and bulls goring their tormentors. It is unclear whether corralejas, where more humans than bulls tend to die, will fall under the new laws. In any case, well-heeled Colombians are loth to attend such events. Aficionados still hope the ban will be lifted if Mr Petro loses next year’s election. But since most Colombians no longer care for the corrida, Spain’s “national fiesta” may simply be on the wrong side of history. ■
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