Peruvian bullfighter Fernando Roca Rey, Acho stadium, Lima, Nov. 2, 2008; photo c. Jorge Vera

Anti-taurino protester in Lima, Nov. 2, 2008

     Aficionados like Espino Gonzales flock to the 242-year-old Plaza de Acho each October and November for the bullfight feasts of El Senor de los Milagros (The Lord of the Miracles), one of the premier bullfighting events in Latin America. The festival, which runs through November 23, lures top toreros from Spain and Latin America, who compete before crowds of up to 14,000 spectators, many from Lima's wealthy, predominantly white elite.      But in the last several years, the Acho bullfights also have been drawing another crowd: young anti-bullfighting activists, known as antitaurinos in Spanish.      "Bullfighting is a cruel and barbaric spectacle that has no place in modern Peru,'' said Roger Torres Pando, 25, national coordinator for Perú Antitaurino, an alliance of 20 animal-rights groups. "It's not an art or a sport; it's an extreme form of cruelty to animals. It must be banned.''      Perú Antitaurino has staged four series of protests at Acho since 2004, a few marred by violent confrontations. In October 2007, activists insulted bullfighters and spectators entering the stadium, prompting police to use tear gas. In a rout of irony, winds blew the tear gas into the bullring, temporarily blinding audience members and torero Vicente Barrera, who had to pause the fight.      Protests erupted again earlier this month (Nov. 2) as the first corrida of the Senor de los Milagros festival got underway. About 300 activists from Perú Antitaurino rallied at the Plaza San Martin, in downtown Lima, against Peru's longtime tradition as police in riot gear stood guard.      "Bullfighters are cowards and assassins!'' yelled the protestors, an assortment of college students, artists and actors, most in their early 20s. "Enough of the torture!''      "Shame on the silence of the Catholic church,'' read one placard. "Life is life. Respect it!''      Unlike in Spain and other European countries with a history of animal-rights reform, the antitaurino movement is in its infancy in Peru, where an older generation clings to traditions from its colonial past.  But the movement is growing.      "Four years ago, we had about 100 activists in our alliance. Now we have about 2,000 people signed up,'' said Torres Pando of Perú Antitaurino.      The average age of antitaurinos is 20, said the organizer. In this Andean country, where the median age is 25, that makes the activists contemporary with the bulk of the population.      "And most Peruvians think that bullfighting is wrong,'' said Torres Pando, pointing to a recent University of Lima study of residents in the capital city and in neighboring Callao that shows a wide majority of those polled -- 79.7 percent -- disapprove of bullfighting, while 18.4 percent approve. He extrapolates those figures to represent all of Peru, not just the capital area.      "We antitaurinos represent the true voice of the country,'' he said. "Peruvians are fed up with bullfighting.''      Freddy Villafuerte, a director of Taurolima, the organization that promotes the Senor de los Milagros bullfights, puts a different spin on the numbers.      As he is quick to point out, the university's study from 2007 showed that 14.4 percent approved of bullfighting. This year's study measured 18.4 percent approval, an increase of four percentage points.      "That shows bullfighting is becoming more popular in Lima, not less,'' Villafuerte said.      Ticket sales for the Acho festival are another measure of bullfighting's popularity. This year, individual ticket sales are up by as much as 10 percent over 2007, according to Villafuerte, with nearly 8,000 seats sold for the first corrida. In addition, sales of expensive season tickets (abonos) have increased dramatically.      As of Nov. 2, about 1,500 abonos had been sold in 2008, compared to 1,350 in 2007 and 800 in 2006, Villafuerte said. That is nearly a 100 percent increase in two years. The abonos cost between the equivalent of 0 and 5 for reserved seats in the arena's exclusive shaded section, with private boxes fetching ,400 -- no small change in this developing country where the average annual income is ,920, according to Unicef.     "It's a sign that Peru's economy is doing well,'' said Villafuerte.      Brisk ticket sales also reflect a perception among Lima's elite that Acho is the new hot spot.      "Acho is becoming the place to be in October and November -- the place to rub shoulders with society,'' said Villafuerte. "Even non-aficionados go to Acho because it is in fashion.''      A ban on bullfighting in Lima, where five bullfighting festivals are staged each year, would be a coup for the activists. Perú Antitaurino hopes to achieve something bigger, however.      The group is pressuring Congress to pass bill #496, a proposed amendment to the country's existing Animal Protection law, which exempts bullfighting and cockfighting from its remit. If passed, the bill would make bullfighting forbidden throughout Peru.      "The time has come to pass this bill,'' said Torres Pando.

"It's an opium dream to think the ban could happen in Peru,'' countered Villafuerte. "Especially in the provinces... impossible.''      "There are about 400 patron saints festivals in the provinces every year, each with corridas to the death,'' he said. "The people demand a good fight, that the bull dies a noble death.''      Torres Pando acknowledged that it will be difficult to change traditions in towns like Huancayo, Cajamarca and Junín where bullfighting is "very assimilated into Catholic fiestas.'' Nevertheless, Perú Antitaurino plans to stage protests there in early 2009.      Freddy Villafuerte, himself a bullfighter, thinks the activists are getting in over their heads. Not only are they out of touch with the cycles of rural life and the livestock industry, they also ignore contradictions in their ethics, he claims.      "Many of the antitaurinos eat meat and anticuchos [grilled cows' hearts] but do not protest the killing of animals for human consumption,'' said Villafuerte. "They accept that sacrifice but not the one in the bullring.''      "Cattle die cowardly in massive numbers at slaughterhouses,'' said Villafuerte. "I've seen them. A brave bull has been bred to fight for his life. It is part of the traditional bullfighting ritual to fight the bull to the death. In some cases, when the bull fights bravely, his life is spared and he goes on to live on a ranch to breed other fighting bulls.''      "In my own case,'' he added, "if I were a bull and I could choose [between the slaughterhouse and the bullring], I would die like a toro bravo -- a brave bull.''

###

Update, 3/19/09: Links to Miami Herald story now direct to Now Public free news archives.

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

Uceda Leal talks over coffee to An American in Lima, Plaza de Acho, Nov. 1, 2008 (photo c. Jorge Vera)

Say hello to my little friend: Anti-bullfighting posters in Lima feature a blood-crazed matador a la Tony Montana (poster: www.peruantitaurino.org)

Last Sunday, November 2, about 300 members of the group Peru Antitaurino rallied at the Plaza San Martin, in downtown Lima, to protest the start of the month-long festival. (The Spanish word for "antibullfighting" is "antitaurino.") The protestors marched at 2;30 p.m. to Acho stadium, where they were stopped by a barricade of 200 riot police. Protestors waved signs and chanted to passersby, while the bullfights continued inside the arena.

The peaceful protests contrasted with those held last year at Acho, where police officers fired tear gas at the activists.

Antitaurino protestors at Plaza San Martin, November 2, 2008; photo by Jorge Vera 2008

PeruAntitaurino is urging Peru's Congress to pass bill #496, which would amend existing Animal Cruelty laws that exempt bullfighting and cockfighting from its writ. If passed, the bill would prohibit bullfighting throughout Peru.

A survey of residents in Lima and Callao shows that nearly 80 percent of those polled do not approve of bullfighting (University of Lima, 2008). However, bullfighting continues to be popular with the city's wealthy elite and with a core group of passionate aficionados, who defend the tradition of fiestas bravas as part of Peru's cultural patrimony.

Similarly, many Limeños who disapprove of bullfighting are apathetic about banning the spectacle, on the grounds that it is a historic tradition.

In contrast, the antitaurinos insist that bullfighting is a sadistic blood-sport that is "ni arte, ni cultura" (neither art not culture). They want it banned in Peru and say that they speak for the majority of Peruvians.

Most of the antitaurinos are young students (average age 20, according to Peru Antitaurino), artists and theater people. The movement represents a new voice in Peru, where until recently few spoke out against the suffering endured by bulls in the bullring.

--Barbara R. Drake

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

Bull's horn penetrates 15 cm into Miguel Angel Perera's groin, ripping the femoral artery

The crowd in Madrid gives Angel Perera a standing ovation

I shared the information with El Fotógrafo, who groaned reflexively when he saw the accident shots.

"The poor guy," I said, doing my best, despite my lack of testicles, to empathize with the man's injuries.  "Aren't these photos horrible."

EF scowled and straightened up: "Well," he said, coolly. "He's a matador. What did he expect?" 

He quickly left the room.

Evidently, some photos can hit too close to home.

Update, May 31, 2009: Huffington Post and other sources are reporting on Spanish matador Israel Lancho's gruesome goring in the ring this last Wednesday. Photos, video -- the works. I find this sudden interest in bullfighting intriguing. Traditional U.S. media outlets don't cover bullfighting, and when I wrote about it for the Miami Herald last November, my story was edited to emphasize the protestors' point of view. But, as people who follow bullfighting know, professional bullfighters are routinely gored in the ring; it's part of the job. Between 80 and 100 such gorings take place each season.  Suddenly this is news in the HP? Perhaps American and British audiences are growing weary of tame "Britain's Got Talent" competition and are growing hungry for real bloodsport.

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

Spanish matador Uceda Leal, of Madrid, who fights in the first Acho corrida, Nov. 2

Fernando Roca Rey sports his spangly get-up for Nov. 2

Peruvian torero Fernando Roca Rey, seen in Acho 2006

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Peruvian bullfighter Fernando Roca Rey, Acho stadium, Lima, Nov. 2, 2008; photo c. Jorge Vera

Anti-taurino protester in Lima, Nov. 2, 2008

     Aficionados like Espino Gonzales flock to the 242-year-old Plaza de Acho each October and November for the bullfight feasts of El Senor de los Milagros (The Lord of the Miracles), one of the premier bullfighting events in Latin America. The festival, which runs through November 23, lures top toreros from Spain and Latin America, who compete before crowds of up to 14,000 spectators, many from Lima's wealthy, predominantly white elite.      But in the last several years, the Acho bullfights also have been drawing another crowd: young anti-bullfighting activists, known as antitaurinos in Spanish.      "Bullfighting is a cruel and barbaric spectacle that has no place in modern Peru,'' said Roger Torres Pando, 25, national coordinator for Perú Antitaurino, an alliance of 20 animal-rights groups. "It's not an art or a sport; it's an extreme form of cruelty to animals. It must be banned.''      Perú Antitaurino has staged four series of protests at Acho since 2004, a few marred by violent confrontations. In October 2007, activists insulted bullfighters and spectators entering the stadium, prompting police to use tear gas. In a rout of irony, winds blew the tear gas into the bullring, temporarily blinding audience members and torero Vicente Barrera, who had to pause the fight.      Protests erupted again earlier this month (Nov. 2) as the first corrida of the Senor de los Milagros festival got underway. About 300 activists from Perú Antitaurino rallied at the Plaza San Martin, in downtown Lima, against Peru's longtime tradition as police in riot gear stood guard.      "Bullfighters are cowards and assassins!'' yelled the protestors, an assortment of college students, artists and actors, most in their early 20s. "Enough of the torture!''      "Shame on the silence of the Catholic church,'' read one placard. "Life is life. Respect it!''      Unlike in Spain and other European countries with a history of animal-rights reform, the antitaurino movement is in its infancy in Peru, where an older generation clings to traditions from its colonial past.  But the movement is growing.      "Four years ago, we had about 100 activists in our alliance. Now we have about 2,000 people signed up,'' said Torres Pando of Perú Antitaurino.      The average age of antitaurinos is 20, said the organizer. In this Andean country, where the median age is 25, that makes the activists contemporary with the bulk of the population.      "And most Peruvians think that bullfighting is wrong,'' said Torres Pando, pointing to a recent University of Lima study of residents in the capital city and in neighboring Callao that shows a wide majority of those polled -- 79.7 percent -- disapprove of bullfighting, while 18.4 percent approve. He extrapolates those figures to represent all of Peru, not just the capital area.      "We antitaurinos represent the true voice of the country,'' he said. "Peruvians are fed up with bullfighting.''      Freddy Villafuerte, a director of Taurolima, the organization that promotes the Senor de los Milagros bullfights, puts a different spin on the numbers.      As he is quick to point out, the university's study from 2007 showed that 14.4 percent approved of bullfighting. This year's study measured 18.4 percent approval, an increase of four percentage points.      "That shows bullfighting is becoming more popular in Lima, not less,'' Villafuerte said.      Ticket sales for the Acho festival are another measure of bullfighting's popularity. This year, individual ticket sales are up by as much as 10 percent over 2007, according to Villafuerte, with nearly 8,000 seats sold for the first corrida. In addition, sales of expensive season tickets (abonos) have increased dramatically.      As of Nov. 2, about 1,500 abonos had been sold in 2008, compared to 1,350 in 2007 and 800 in 2006, Villafuerte said. That is nearly a 100 percent increase in two years. The abonos cost between the equivalent of $150 and $495 for reserved seats in the arena's exclusive shaded section, with private boxes fetching $1,400 -- no small change in this developing country where the average annual income is $2,920, according to Unicef.     "It's a sign that Peru's economy is doing well,'' said Villafuerte.      Brisk ticket sales also reflect a perception among Lima's elite that Acho is the new hot spot.      "Acho is becoming the place to be in October and November -- the place to rub shoulders with society,'' said Villafuerte. "Even non-aficionados go to Acho because it is in fashion.''      A ban on bullfighting in Lima, where five bullfighting festivals are staged each year, would be a coup for the activists. Perú Antitaurino hopes to achieve something bigger, however.      The group is pressuring Congress to pass bill #496, a proposed amendment to the country's existing Animal Protection law, which exempts bullfighting and cockfighting from its remit. If passed, the bill would make bullfighting forbidden throughout Peru.      "The time has come to pass this bill,'' said Torres Pando.

"It's an opium dream to think the ban could happen in Peru,'' countered Villafuerte. "Especially in the provinces... impossible.''      "There are about 400 patron saints festivals in the provinces every year, each with corridas to the death,'' he said. "The people demand a good fight, that the bull dies a noble death.''      Torres Pando acknowledged that it will be difficult to change traditions in towns like Huancayo, Cajamarca and Junín where bullfighting is "very assimilated into Catholic fiestas.'' Nevertheless, Perú Antitaurino plans to stage protests there in early 2009.      Freddy Villafuerte, himself a bullfighter, thinks the activists are getting in over their heads. Not only are they out of touch with the cycles of rural life and the livestock industry, they also ignore contradictions in their ethics, he claims.      "Many of the antitaurinos eat meat and anticuchos [grilled cows' hearts] but do not protest the killing of animals for human consumption,'' said Villafuerte. "They accept that sacrifice but not the one in the bullring.''      "Cattle die cowardly in massive numbers at slaughterhouses,'' said Villafuerte. "I've seen them. A brave bull has been bred to fight for his life. It is part of the traditional bullfighting ritual to fight the bull to the death. In some cases, when the bull fights bravely, his life is spared and he goes on to live on a ranch to breed other fighting bulls.''      "In my own case,'' he added, "if I were a bull and I could choose [between the slaughterhouse and the bullring], I would die like a toro bravo -- a brave bull.''

###

Update, 3/19/09: Links to Miami Herald story now direct to Now Public free news archives.