What is the most outstanding thing that happened at the last San Isidro Fair? Well, it depends on the lens with which each one looks at it. And there will be those who think, many perhaps, that almost nothing we have seen in Las Ventas in the last month has been relevant.
But if. There have been surprises, some joys, disappointments too, many people in the stands, stands and barrages, boring afternoons, strong gusts of wind, bulls that would not have been approved as bulls outside the fair, others with imposing clothes, many tame, few fierce and established, nobles in abundance, bullfighters defeated by stage fright, others who have not been able to stay afloat, recognized heroes, inspired artists… And add the pachorra of the bailiffs, converted by modernity into ushers (the spectators stragglers find their seats while the uniformed couple strolls like lost souls on the backs of two very sad horses), and the unhygienic gesture of the sand collectors, who hide the excrement of bulls and horses next to the boards instead of depositing them in a garbage container .
It has not been a round fair – you would have to delve into history to find one like that, but it has been dotted with touches to remember, starring the most prominent characters of this show, the bull and the bullfighter.
And add the most surprising note, perhaps, which has been the public, which has come en masse to the square—13 afternoons of there are no tickets and six almost full houses out of a total of 26 celebrations is an extraordinary number—and is the most responsible for the bullfighting degeneration that, for some years now, has been experienced in the most important fairs.
Since there is no demand from the bulls, the level of bullfighting has decreased, the bullfighters have become very tiresome and vulgarity has gained ground in the depths.
But if there were no public there would be no party, no Seville Fair, no San Isidro Fair or many others; hence, the extreme importance of the fact that the box office has not been able to cope. But since you cannot have everything in this life, this crowd has managed to change the image and essence of Las Ventas.
There are few, very few, true fans, wise and generous, who already come to the Madrid square. The epidemic took away many veterans, and others have decided not to return, tired of the injustices, lies, frauds and darkness that corrupt the world of bullfighting. Those who remain, a select minority, are torn between permanent demands, protests and demands, and fatigue.
All of them are clear that the fans’ battle is lost. And they must accept that it has been replaced by a diverse public that, in general terms, does not know the four rules of this festival, seeks enjoyment, is a party-goer and an ear-lover, in such a way that the integrity, the purity of the spectacle and the search for emotion are already values of the past.
What is the reason for this change?
Fortunately, the world is constantly evolving and the bullfighting festival is no exception to this. She could have disappeared after the pandemic, but, happily, she is awake and well, despite the many and serious illnesses she suffers from.
The bulls continue because they are part of the life, work, economy and leisure of a large part of this country; The bulls continue, too, as a gesture of rebellion in the face of the merciless avalanche of attacks that this spectacle suffers from the unrepentant animalist movement and many politicians of all stripes, some because they have made their opposition to the bulls a vain sign of progress. , —in his opinion, those who go to the bulls are right-wing—, and others due to a flagrant complex regarding the inconsistency of their support.
Be that as it may, the Plaza de Las Ventas has been filled afternoon after afternoon, but the spectacle seen belongs to a new bullfighting. As there is no demand from the bulls, the presentation of the bulls has decreased, the bullfighters have become very tiresome, vulgarity has gained ground in depth and bullfighting has lost a fundamental part of its natural essence.
But it must be the sign of the new times.
Along with this reality, which has come to stay, very interesting bulls have entered the ring, such as the entire Fuente Ymbro bullfight, with Orgulloso at the head; Staff of Baltasar Ibán; the bullfights of Montealto, Guadaira and again Fuente Ymbro; Periquito, from La Quinta; Vatican and Swordsman, by El Torero; Swindler and Fertilizer, by Conde de Mayalde; Rebeco, by Juan Pedro Domecq; Expert and Tejonero, by Santiago Domecq; the difficult and interesting bullfight by Victorino, and Dulce, by Victoriano del Río.
Very interesting bulls have entered the ring, and some bullfighters, bullfighters on horseback and subordinates on foot have left their mark.
And bullfighters who have left their mark: the bullfighter Jarocho, first of all, the only one who has cut off both ears of a bull; Borja Jiménez, declared winner of the cycle, Román, David Galván, Tomás Rufo, Perera, Emilio de Justo, Isaac Fonseca, Manuel Escribano, Talavante – always with honey on their lips -, and the bullfighters Alejandro Peñaranda, Ismael Martín and Alejandro Chicharro . In the lowest area is Roca Rey, which has failed decisively at the fair, to the point of hearing five warnings on the afternoon of May 24.
As usual, the walking bullfighting is determined to put an end to the third of rods, but there have been good bullfighters on horseback: Alberto Sandoval, Pedro Iturralde, Ángel Rivas, Juan Francisco Peña, Luis Alberto Parrón, Manuel José Bernal, Paco María, Germán González and Juan Melgar, among others.
The list of ordinary subalterns who have shown off with the flags or the cape is very long; Among them, and at the risk of some involuntary forgetting, Joao Ferreira, Alberto Zayas, Curro Javier, El Víctor, César Fernández, Víctor Hugo Saugar Pirri, Candelas, Juan Carlos Rey, Víctor del Pozo, Pascual Mellinas, Fini, Rafael Viotti, have stood out. Juan José Trujillo, Luis Cebadera, Sergio Blasco, Fernando Sánchez, Daniel Duarte, El Algabeño, Morenito de Arles, Juan Navazo, Javier Ambel, Juan Rojas, José Magaña, José Chacón, Iván García, Jesús Arruga, Antonio Chacón, Joselito Rus, Lipi, David Adalid, Raúl Ruiz, Jarocho, Álvaro Montes, Jesús Robledo Tito, Marc Leal and Rubén Sánchez.
A young fan of just 17 years old, José Enrique Castro Mestre, has sent a letter to this blog in which he draws an accurate picture of the worrying moment that the festival is going through as a result of the completed San Isidro Fair, and concludes: “Although the Statistics have shown a great growth in both economic and social activity (in Madrid), perhaps due to the desire to shut up Urtasun and show him that bullfighting is not irrelevant, we bullfighters really know that if nothing changes in the festival, People will end up getting bored, and little by little bullfighting will disappear. And not precisely because a group of deputies bring a proposal to Congress, but because it will not cause sensations that attract people.”
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