An American in Lima » Andres Roca Rey

An American in Lima » Andres Roca Rey http://americaninlima.com slices of my life in Peru Sat, 12 Mar 2011 22:55:48 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1 Make Way for the Matadors http://americaninlima.com/2008/10/25/make-way-for-the-matadors/ http://americaninlima.com/2008/10/25/make-way-for-the-matadors/#comments Sun, 26 Oct 2008 00:26:19 +0000 Barbara http://americaninlima.com/2008/10/25/make-way-for-the-matadors/ Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.]]> Here in Peru, the end of October signals the arrival of another highly anticipated, combative event: bullfighting season. The blood shed in Lima's historic Plaza de Acho stadium this November is certain to be real, however. South America's oldest bullfighting ring (c. 1766) draws crowds for its annual festival of Spanish-style bullfighting, also known as corrida de toros or fiesta brava, in which the bull is provoked and killed by the matador (or, occasionally, the other way around). Other styles of bullfighting allow the bull to survive the ordeal. These forms include the Basque recortes, in which toreros earn points for their acrobatic maneuvers on and around the bull; the French course libre, in which participants try to snatch a rosette from the bull's head; and freestyle bullfighting, a wrestling sport developed in the American rodeo. But these more humane styles aren't popular in Peru or in the rest of South America. Peruvian fans want to see the classic, ritual slaughter performed in all its elaborate, ceremonial gore. Anti-taurino (anti-bullfighting) groups have grown more active in Peru in recent years, protesting outside bullfighting rings and writing editorials that condemn the sport's brutality. Their outcries make the daily headlines and register a small, but growing opinion among Peruvians that the corrida is a cruel, bloodthirsty sport. Which is exactly the point, reply the corrida fans. It's a ritual of death and animal sacrifice. It's a senseless, barbaric, over-romanticized ritual, counter the activists! Stop the disgusting slaughter now! If you're so bothered by those deaths, retort the bullfighting fans, why don't you object to the killing of animals for meat? Millions of animals suffer horrendous abuses and die in agony in slaughterhouses. Why not direct your anger and indignation at those practices? And the debate rages on. Meanwhile, South America's biggest bullfighting festival will get underway November 1, six days from now, when La Feria de Acho 2008, in Lima, opens its gates. Internationally renowned matadors from Europe and Latin America will take part on four consecutive Sundays. The media blitz is underway, and I can feel taurino fever creeping over the city. Centuries-old tradition links mes morado with the Acho festival. First we honor El Senor de los Milagros (October), then, we go to the bullfights (November). To completely conflate the two concepts, the bullfight festival also is referred to as la Feria del Señor de los Milagros In other words, it's the season of sacrifices: Christ on the cross, then the bulls. No wonder I've got this knot in the pit of my stomach. The tension reminds of me what I used to experience during the buildup to Election Day in the United States, with this important difference: whatever happens in the Acho ring is not going to sway the course of world events. Fellow blogger Rachel in Peru has posted an informative overview of the history of the Acho bullring and, for those readers considering attending, offers advice about buying tickets. (You can purchase individual tickets through Teleticket starting today, October 26.) If you want to see pictures of the eight bulls that will be sacrificed on Day 1, click here. (They are fearsome, magnificent-looking animals. I can't imagine standing in a ring and taunting one of those creatures to run at me.) For the record, here's the schedule for the 2008 Acho Bullfighting Festival, with participating toreros in parentheses: Saturday, November 1: Novillada Promocional (youngster day) Sunday, November 2: Corrida de Toros (Uceda Leal, Fernando Roca Rey, David Galán) Sunday, November 9, Corrida de Toros (David "El Fandi" Fandilla, José María Manzaneres, Alfonso Simpson) Sunday, November 16: Corrida de Toros (Matlas Tejela, Miguel Angel Perera & TBA) Sunday, November 23: Corrida de Toros (Enrique Ponce, Sebastian Castella, Miguel Angel Perera) Oh, and as I've just found out, the 11-year-old bullfighter I met in the park, Andres ("El Andi") Roca Rey, will be competing in the November 1^st Novillada. Links: Boy Bullfighters in the Park and El Híjo Weighs in on Bullfighting (An American in Lima, July 2008) Encyclopedia Brittanica article on bullfighting (a balanced overview) La Tauromaquia: English- and Spanish-language website run by a former professional bullfighter from Seville, Spain, with news and essays about bullfighting. (pro-bullfighting) FAACE (Fight Against Animal Cruelty in Spain): English-language site run by an activist group in the U.K. that seeks to ban "blood fiestas" in Spain and other ritualized violence against animals. (anti-bullfighting, obviously) Perú Antitaurino: Spanish-language website of Peruvian organization that wants to raise awareness of animal cruelty in Peru and to end Spanish-style bullfighting in the country. (anti) Tauromaquia: Spanish-language blog from Peru, with extensive coverage and analysis of bullfights in Peru. Updated daily. Includes a countdown clock for those who are counting the minutes until La Feria de Acho begins. (Serious bullfighting fan site)]]> http://americaninlima.com/2008/10/25/make-way-for-the-matadors/feed/ 7 El Híjo Weighs in on Bullfighting http://americaninlima.com/2008/07/29/el-hijo-weighs-in-on-bullfighting/ http://americaninlima.com/2008/07/29/el-hijo-weighs-in-on-bullfighting/#comments Tue, 29 Jul 2008 16:32:39 +0000 Barbara http://americaninlima.com/2008/07/29/el-hijo-weighs-in-on-bullfighting/ Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.]]> 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, by Martin Mejia (AP) The footage started out great: El Andi executing beautiful passes, tossing his silken hair in true matador fashion, the young bull charging at him with alarming ferocity. The boy's presence and athleticism were riveting – or so I thought. "Can you believe that's the nice kid we just met in the park?" I asked. "Isn't he amazing?" "He's pretty good," EH said, Then El Andi brought out the barbed lances and stuck them in the bull's back. "Yuck," said EH. "I'm going to play Legos." Evidently my son is more North American than Latin American. I was surprised. EH plays video games where fantasy characters battle with swords and light sabers. He's not into guns, but when he's in his room playing with "action figures" (translation: dolls for boys), the characters blow up each other's towns and slay each other in "duels to the death." I figured he'd be impressed by real mortal combat between Man -- make that Boy & Bull. But, no. Animal cruelty and actual bloodshed gross him out. Today, I tried to interest EH in another El Andi video. (I'm trying to sort out my complicated reaction to the sport, which both horrifies and fascinates me.) EH looked at it for 30 seconds before stomping away. "The poor bull," he said. "How would the dumb people in the audience like it if they had swords stuck in their back?" My American son doesn't give a rat's patooti about the art of bullfighting or the matador's courage. He doesn't care that the star of the video is a boy who showed him torero moves in the park. He's on the side of the bull, one-hundred percent. In fact, it's the bull he identifies with, not the 10-year-old kid. This morning, looking through my notes from the short interview I had with El Andi and his coach, I found a drawing that El Híjo had scribbled in blue ink (don't ask me when). It's of a bull waving his horns. A text balloon from his mouth reads: "I am pissed and somebody is gonna die!"]]> http://americaninlima.com/2008/07/29/el-hijo-weighs-in-on-bullfighting/feed/ 0 Boy Bullfighters in the Park http://americaninlima.com/2008/10/25/make-way-for-the-matadors/ http://americaninlima.com/2008/10/25/make-way-for-the-matadors/#comments Sun, 26 Oct 2008 00:26:19 +0000 Barbara http://americaninlima.com/2008/10/25/make-way-for-the-matadors/ Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.]]> Here in Peru, the end of October signals the arrival of another highly anticipated, combative event: bullfighting season. The blood shed in Lima's historic Plaza de Acho stadium this November is certain to be real, however. South America's oldest bullfighting ring (c. 1766) draws crowds for its annual festival of Spanish-style bullfighting, also known as corrida de toros or fiesta brava, in which the bull is provoked and killed by the matador (or, occasionally, the other way around). Other styles of bullfighting allow the bull to survive the ordeal. These forms include the Basque recortes, in which toreros earn points for their acrobatic maneuvers on and around the bull; the French course libre, in which participants try to snatch a rosette from the bull's head; and freestyle bullfighting, a wrestling sport developed in the American rodeo. But these more humane styles aren't popular in Peru or in the rest of South America. Peruvian fans want to see the classic, ritual slaughter performed in all its elaborate, ceremonial gore. Anti-taurino (anti-bullfighting) groups have grown more active in Peru in recent years, protesting outside bullfighting rings and writing editorials that condemn the sport's brutality. Their outcries make the daily headlines and register a small, but growing opinion among Peruvians that the corrida is a cruel, bloodthirsty sport. Which is exactly the point, reply the corrida fans. It's a ritual of death and animal sacrifice. It's a senseless, barbaric, over-romanticized ritual, counter the activists! Stop the disgusting slaughter now! If you're so bothered by those deaths, retort the bullfighting fans, why don't you object to the killing of animals for meat? Millions of animals suffer horrendous abuses and die in agony in slaughterhouses. Why not direct your anger and indignation at those practices? And the debate rages on. Meanwhile, South America's biggest bullfighting festival will get underway November 1, six days from now, when La Feria de Acho 2008, in Lima, opens its gates. Internationally renowned matadors from Europe and Latin America will take part on four consecutive Sundays. The media blitz is underway, and I can feel taurino fever creeping over the city. Centuries-old tradition links mes morado with the Acho festival. First we honor El Senor de los Milagros (October), then, we go to the bullfights (November). To completely conflate the two concepts, the bullfight festival also is referred to as la Feria del Señor de los Milagros In other words, it's the season of sacrifices: Christ on the cross, then the bulls. No wonder I've got this knot in the pit of my stomach. The tension reminds of me what I used to experience during the buildup to Election Day in the United States, with this important difference: whatever happens in the Acho ring is not going to sway the course of world events. Fellow blogger Rachel in Peru has posted an informative overview of the history of the Acho bullring and, for those readers considering attending, offers advice about buying tickets. (You can purchase individual tickets through Teleticket starting today, October 26.) If you want to see pictures of the eight bulls that will be sacrificed on Day 1, click here. (They are fearsome, magnificent-looking animals. I can't imagine standing in a ring and taunting one of those creatures to run at me.) For the record, here's the schedule for the 2008 Acho Bullfighting Festival, with participating toreros in parentheses: Saturday, November 1: Novillada Promocional (youngster day) Sunday, November 2: Corrida de Toros (Uceda Leal, Fernando Roca Rey, David Galán) Sunday, November 9, Corrida de Toros (David "El Fandi" Fandilla, José María Manzaneres, Alfonso Simpson) Sunday, November 16: Corrida de Toros (Matlas Tejela, Miguel Angel Perera & TBA) Sunday, November 23: Corrida de Toros (Enrique Ponce, Sebastian Castella, Miguel Angel Perera) Oh, and as I've just found out, the 11-year-old bullfighter I met in the park, Andres ("El Andi") Roca Rey, will be competing in the November 1^st Novillada. Links: Boy Bullfighters in the Park and El Híjo Weighs in on Bullfighting (An American in Lima, July 2008) Encyclopedia Brittanica article on bullfighting (a balanced overview) La Tauromaquia: English- and Spanish-language website run by a former professional bullfighter from Seville, Spain, with news and essays about bullfighting. (pro-bullfighting) FAACE (Fight Against Animal Cruelty in Spain): English-language site run by an activist group in the U.K. that seeks to ban "blood fiestas" in Spain and other ritualized violence against animals. (anti-bullfighting, obviously) Perú Antitaurino: Spanish-language website of Peruvian organization that wants to raise awareness of animal cruelty in Peru and to end Spanish-style bullfighting in the country. (anti) Tauromaquia: Spanish-language blog from Peru, with extensive coverage and analysis of bullfights in Peru. Updated daily. Includes a countdown clock for those who are counting the minutes until La Feria de Acho begins. (Serious bullfighting fan site)]]> http://americaninlima.com/2008/10/25/make-way-for-the-matadors/feed/ 7 An American in Lima » Andres Roca Rey http://americaninlima.com slices of my life in Peru Sat, 12 Mar 2011 22:55:48 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1 Make Way for the Matadors http://americaninlima.com/2008/10/25/make-way-for-the-matadors/ http://americaninlima.com/2008/10/25/make-way-for-the-matadors/#comments Sun, 26 Oct 2008 00:26:19 +0000 Barbara http://americaninlima.com/2008/10/25/make-way-for-the-matadors/ Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.]]> Here in Peru, the end of October signals the arrival of another highly anticipated, combative event: bullfighting season. The blood shed in Lima's historic Plaza de Acho stadium this November is certain to be real, however. South America's oldest bullfighting ring (c. 1766) draws crowds for its annual festival of Spanish-style bullfighting, also known as corrida de toros or fiesta brava, in which the bull is provoked and killed by the matador (or, occasionally, the other way around). Other styles of bullfighting allow the bull to survive the ordeal. These forms include the Basque recortes, in which toreros earn points for their acrobatic maneuvers on and around the bull; the French course libre, in which participants try to snatch a rosette from the bull's head; and freestyle bullfighting, a wrestling sport developed in the American rodeo. But these more humane styles aren't popular in Peru or in the rest of South America. Peruvian fans want to see the classic, ritual slaughter performed in all its elaborate, ceremonial gore. Anti-taurino (anti-bullfighting) groups have grown more active in Peru in recent years, protesting outside bullfighting rings and writing editorials that condemn the sport's brutality. Their outcries make the daily headlines and register a small, but growing opinion among Peruvians that the corrida is a cruel, bloodthirsty sport. Which is exactly the point, reply the corrida fans. It's a ritual of death and animal sacrifice. It's a senseless, barbaric, over-romanticized ritual, counter the activists! Stop the disgusting slaughter now! If you're so bothered by those deaths, retort the bullfighting fans, why don't you object to the killing of animals for meat? Millions of animals suffer horrendous abuses and die in agony in slaughterhouses. Why not direct your anger and indignation at those practices? And the debate rages on. Meanwhile, South America's biggest bullfighting festival will get underway November 1, six days from now, when La Feria de Acho 2008, in Lima, opens its gates. Internationally renowned matadors from Europe and Latin America will take part on four consecutive Sundays. The media blitz is underway, and I can feel taurino fever creeping over the city. Centuries-old tradition links mes morado with the Acho festival. First we honor El Senor de los Milagros (October), then, we go to the bullfights (November). To completely conflate the two concepts, the bullfight festival also is referred to as la Feria del Señor de los Milagros In other words, it's the season of sacrifices: Christ on the cross, then the bulls. No wonder I've got this knot in the pit of my stomach. The tension reminds of me what I used to experience during the buildup to Election Day in the United States, with this important difference: whatever happens in the Acho ring is not going to sway the course of world events. Fellow blogger Rachel in Peru has posted an informative overview of the history of the Acho bullring and, for those readers considering attending, offers advice about buying tickets. (You can purchase individual tickets through Teleticket starting today, October 26.) If you want to see pictures of the eight bulls that will be sacrificed on Day 1, click here. (They are fearsome, magnificent-looking animals. I can't imagine standing in a ring and taunting one of those creatures to run at me.) For the record, here's the schedule for the 2008 Acho Bullfighting Festival, with participating toreros in parentheses: Saturday, November 1: Novillada Promocional (youngster day) Sunday, November 2: Corrida de Toros (Uceda Leal, Fernando Roca Rey, David Galán) Sunday, November 9, Corrida de Toros (David "El Fandi" Fandilla, José María Manzaneres, Alfonso Simpson) Sunday, November 16: Corrida de Toros (Matlas Tejela, Miguel Angel Perera & TBA) Sunday, November 23: Corrida de Toros (Enrique Ponce, Sebastian Castella, Miguel Angel Perera) Oh, and as I've just found out, the 11-year-old bullfighter I met in the park, Andres ("El Andi") Roca Rey, will be competing in the November 1^st Novillada. Links: Boy Bullfighters in the Park and El Híjo Weighs in on Bullfighting (An American in Lima, July 2008) Encyclopedia Brittanica article on bullfighting (a balanced overview) La Tauromaquia: English- and Spanish-language website run by a former professional bullfighter from Seville, Spain, with news and essays about bullfighting. (pro-bullfighting) FAACE (Fight Against Animal Cruelty in Spain): English-language site run by an activist group in the U.K. that seeks to ban "blood fiestas" in Spain and other ritualized violence against animals. (anti-bullfighting, obviously) Perú Antitaurino: Spanish-language website of Peruvian organization that wants to raise awareness of animal cruelty in Peru and to end Spanish-style bullfighting in the country. (anti) Tauromaquia: Spanish-language blog from Peru, with extensive coverage and analysis of bullfights in Peru. Updated daily. Includes a countdown clock for those who are counting the minutes until La Feria de Acho begins. (Serious bullfighting fan site)]]> http://americaninlima.com/2008/10/25/make-way-for-the-matadors/feed/ 7 El Híjo Weighs in on Bullfighting http://americaninlima.com/2008/07/29/el-hijo-weighs-in-on-bullfighting/ http://americaninlima.com/2008/07/29/el-hijo-weighs-in-on-bullfighting/#comments Tue, 29 Jul 2008 16:32:39 +0000 Barbara http://americaninlima.com/2008/07/29/el-hijo-weighs-in-on-bullfighting/ Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.]]> El Andi" at the 2008 Las Palmas fiesta.

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, dressed in tracksuits and sneakers, practicing bullfighting passes in Parque Leoncio Prado this morning. One boy held a pair of bull's horns mounted to a wooden handle. The other boy took turns practicing with red and pink capes and various swords. Nearby on a park bench, a slim middle-aged man called out instructions and exhorted them to move "mas cerca." I spied them around 9 a.m. from my office window and came down to the park to investigate. Up close, the boys looked serious, and no wonder: The one in the grey t-shirt was Andrés Roca Rey, Peru's 10-year-old bullfighting sensation. "El Andi," as he is known to his fans in Peru and Mexico, comes from a long line of Peruvian bullfighters, the Roca Rey family. As it turns out, the family lives not far from our neighborhood, in La Molina. El Andi had come to the park this morning with his coach, Luis Miguel Rubio, to train for an upcoming bullfight, to be held in Cajamarca on August 2.

Andres Roca Rey, El Andi, practices in Lima park, photo copyright Jorge Vera 2008

Helping him prepare for the fight was 12-year-old Brian Rubio, the trainer's son. El Híjo and El Fotógrafo joined me on the park bench as I talked to Sr. Luis. El Andi got down on his knees and spread his cape -- not the most protected position from which to taunt a bull, I thought. Then again, I suppose that's what a matador does when he wants to win over the crowd -- demonstrate a courage that borders on recklessness. El Híjo looked on with the bored face that boys put on when they are impressed. El Andi is exactly his age – 10 (or "11 in October," as Andres pointed out to me later; strangely, El Hijo also insists on telling people he is 11.). How many bulls has Andres fought, I asked Sr. Luis? Luis mistook my question. "He has killed seven bejcerros," he said emphatically, as he watched Brian charge at El Andi.

Andres Roca Rey photographed by Jorge Vera, copyright 2008

A bejcerro is a young bull, EF explained. After that, come the novios (teen bulls) and toros (full-grown bulls). EH chewed over this idea of Andres killing seven bulls. "That's bad for the bulls," he said to me in English. "You bet," I said. The two young matadors took a break from practicing. "How do you feel when you're in the ring?" EF asked El Andi. The young bullfighter has a sweet, open face that takes on a look of deep concentration when he's staring down a pair of horns. "I feel calm," he said. "Don't you get scared." "No. I am never scared," said El Andi. "A little fear is good," pointed out EF. "Yes, well, I feel a little fear," El Andi finally admitted.]]> http://americaninlima.com/2008/07/28/boy-bullfighters-in-the-park/feed/ 0