First you see it: now you don’t!
Amazingly, three days after a full house at Plaza México saw the welcome return of bullfighting to the world’s largest bullring following a two-year absence, a provisional ban has once again been placed upon the spectacle occurring there.
The previous prohibition, put in place by a district judge, was lifted by a decision of Mexico’s Supreme Court. Now, another district judge has ordered that no bullfighting should take place in the bullring following his consideration of a Petition for Court Protection from an animal rights organisation, “Todas y todos por amor a los toros”. The organisation has argued that bullfighting conflicts with animal wellbeing and, moreover, represents an affront to the human right to a healthy environment (which appears to be a repeat of the argument that led to the initial ban). In responding to this news, the legal team at Plaza México, which has further festejos programmed for February and March, said it was hopeful that a presentation to a higher legal authority would soon see the new prohibition overturned.
In the meantime, there are conflicting views over the January 28 corrida that drew over 41,000 spectators to the venue. Joselito Adame, who headed the cartel and reportedly performed well except with the sword, said that the festejo had brought many people to the plaza who were new to bullfighting, and he would remember the afternoon for the rest of his life.
The event’s main problem were the bulls selected for this auspicious occasion, the animals of Tequisquiapan de Fernando de la Mora, although well presented, proving to have little energy. Furthermore, whllst Adame and the second sword, Diego Silveti, received ovations after their performances, the third man on the cartel, Andrés Roca Rey no less, departed to a bronca after hearing three avisos and failing to kill his second bull. As an opportunity to showcase bullfighting at its best, this opening corrida of la Feria de Reapertura was far from a success.
In addition, some attendees were pelted with rubbish and other objects by a crowd of some 300 protesters as they tried to make their way towards the bullring. Some protesters also felt it appropriate to attack the exterior of Plaza México, using brick hammers and the like to damage the building’s masonry, as well as spraying graffiti on the walls and tearing down signs. (The BBC, while publishing an article online about the protests, failed to mention any of the violence that some of the protesters engaged in.)
It appears that one context for the renewed legal action against the corrida are the forthcoming elections in Mexico. Certainly, if bullfighting is to regain a foothold in Mexico City, much remains to be done, both to counter legal and political arguments and also to improve the quality of the spectacle currently being offered to the Mexican public.