An American in Lima

Spanish bullfighter Jose Uceda Leal before his first corrida at Plaza de Acho, Lima, Nov. 1, 2008: , photo c. Jorge Vera 2008

Born and trained in Madrid, José Igacio Uceda Leal ranks among the top toreros in Spain. Tall and slender, the 31-year-old bullfighter moves in the ring with an elegant, commanding presence. When he’s not dancing with [...]

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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 [...]

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Public outrage over animal cruelty in bullfighting is mounting in Lima, home to the famed Senor de los Milagros bullfighting festival (Nov. 2 - 23, 2008). The festival takes place in Plaza de Acho, the oldest bullring in the Americas and the second-oldest in the world.  

Say hello to my little friend: Anti-bullfighting posters in [...]

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Sand leveller Carlos Echevarria, Plaza de Acho, Lima; photo c. Jorge Vera 2008

 Carlos Echevarria has been leveling the arena at Lima’s Plaza de Acho bullring for 35 years. It is his job to cart in fresh sand, spread it over the 60-meter-wide arena and pack it into a firm, even surface.
Then a pair of workers uses a rope and spike to draw [...]

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“There’s no way to be a great matador and not get gored.”
That’s what Bob Simon of 60 Minutes drew from his experiences while reporting on bullfighters in Spain, and it’s an ethos shared by most professional matadors. (Click here to read about Simon’s getting gored himself while researching his story.) 
Horrendous groin accidents are part of [...]

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Matador David Galan, who stars in the Nov. 2 corrida

Raging bulls, elaborate torture rituals, hot sun and sand, seriously handsome guys in skin-tight outfits skewering animals through the aeorta: Lima’s Feria de Acho bullfight season (Nov. 2 - 23, 2008) showcases raw, in-your-face Spanish-style bullfighting, and the Peruvian crowds love it.

Spanish matador Uceda Leal, of Madrid, who fights in the first Acho corrida, [...]

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Back in the United States, tension and uncertainty are mounting to excruciating levels as November 4 nears. One guy will win, one guy will lose, and the specters of voting improprieties and riot police haunt many Americans’ visions of what might happen on Election Day 2008.
Hopefully the presidential candidates’ “duel to the death” will be [...]

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After our encounter with Peru’s famous child matador yesterday morning, El Híjo and I hunted down a YouTube video of 10-year-old “El Andi” at the 2008 Las Palmas fiesta.

Figure 1: Peru’s boy matador Andrés Roca Rey, at in the “Senor de los Milagros” bullfighting festival, in the historic Ancho bullring, in Lima, Nov. 4, 2007, [...]

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The boy in the grey t-shirt swept out his arm and arched his torso in an elegant bow-shape as the “bull” charged within an inch of his hip. Then he pivoted on one foot and flicked the cape at his opponent’s head. The red fabric spun and twirled, daring the sharp, curved horns to come closer.
They were two Limeno kids, [...]

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