Photo of the Day: Female Bullfighter Milagros Sanchez at Plaza de Acho
- 19-year-old Peruvian bullfighter Milagros Sanchez kneels in the sands of Acho, Nov. 1, 2008; photo copyright Jorge Vera 2008
This year’s Señor de los Milagros (Lord of the Miracles) bullfight festival (Nov. 1 – 23), held in the historic Plaza de Acho bullring, began in a rather unorthodox way.
(1) One minute prior to the start of the Nov. 1 novillada, at 3:40 p.m., an earthquake registering 4.3 on the Richter scale shook the city.
(2) Two female bullfighters, Milagros Sanchez (Peru) and Lulu de la Vega (Mexico) took their places in the ring. It was the first time in 32 years that women had competed at Acho. Also in the ring that day was little 10-year-old Michelito, the boy-wonder bullfighter from Mexico.
El Fotografo and I were at Acho to witness our first bullfights and report on the events for an American newspaper.
I was my first bullfight. EF’s too.
We were seated directly over the chute where the bulls come thundering into the arena. I had no idea what to expect.
Trumpets sounded and everyone got quiet. Suddenly the whole stadium started to rumble.
Wow, that’s some bull, I thought!
Un temblor, EF pointed out.
The crowd calmed down, and then this serious 19-year-old walked calmly into the ring, kneeled in the sand and spread her pink cape, about 20 feet in front of the bull pen.
The gate opened and the bull ran right at her.
Now that takes cojones, I thought.
Barbara
I am an American writer who lived in Lima for seven years (2007-2014), where I covered Andean traditions, melting glaciers and daily life in the capital for Miami Herald, MSNBC and Huffington Post. I now live and work in northern Florida where I champion climate change advocacy and compassionate, affordable eldercare.
3 Comments
el kibitzer
barb,
bullfighting is calculated, of course it requires bravery, or stupidity to do it.
you, barb, have cojones, to move to a foreign land, from the “comfy” united states, to write undiscrimately about their culture and ideas, to travel into unknown territory, and inquire , and expose and report, that takes cojones.
i admire you, keep up the good work,
your friend, the peruvian in jersey,
el kibitzer
Miguel Fuentes
wow I think I heard about female bullfighters in Acho before, but I never paid attention to that, because I never felt interest for it, and I am also against all this about bullfighting,
I have to say you must be very brave to be in front of those bulls.
Barb
Thanks, EK, for your supportive remarks. I had never thought of our move in that light — that I had cojones for ditching the US for Peru. I will remember your remarks the next time I’m frustrated with Lima, or dodging crazy combis on the street — which is kind of like being in a corrida.
Miguel, yes, this issue of women going into the bullfighting ring is intriguing. I don’t think it changes the ethics of bullfighting (after all, the toreras kill bulls just as the toreros do), but it does challenge the image of bullfighting as an all-male domain.
MF, it was scary to be so close to the bulls. They are massive and swift moving. The toreros make it look easy to be in the ring with them, but I believe the bulls are intelligent and can figure out quickly if the person holding the cape is dominant/brave, or frightened/submissive. It’s not something that bullfighters can fake.
A reporter for 60 minutes did a recent piece on a Spanish bullfighter and followed the guy around for a month in Spain. After a few weeks, the reporter became tempted to step into the ring and wave the cape at a bull. He ended up being gored. That episode should be a warning for any reporter/writer who is tempted to do the same.