Mexico bullfights continue, and crowds go wild on both sides of the issue
In 2022, a district judge ruled bullfights could no longer be held in Mexico City. Advocates for its complete abolition felt the tide of history turning in their favor.
It was not just in Mexico City. By then, the states of Sonora, Guerrero, Coahuila, Sinaloa, and Quintana Roo had all passed bylaws or constitutional state amendments banning these events.
However, upon appeal, Mexico’s Supreme Court overturned the ban, allowing bullfights to return to the nation’s capital.
As its name suggests, La Plaza de Toros Monumental de la Ciudad de México is the largest bullfighting venue in the country.
At maximum capacity, the arena can hold up to 42,000 attendees. But according to Mexico City authorities, over 50,000 ticketholders packed in to witness the first bullfight in the city in two years.
While public opinion in Mexico has shifted against bullfighting in the last decade, plenty of people are still willing to pay up to US$500 for front-row seats.
In Mérida, though several politicians have proclaimed themselves against bullfights, no legislation to ban these events has been passed or even presented.
As the bullfighting season begins to wind up in Mérida, protestors are preparing several marches, vigils and demonstrations to oppose what they see as cut-and-dried animal cruelty.
In the past, these protests in Mérida have traditionally been organized by several small independent groups. But now, several of these smaller organizations and groups have started to coalesce into fewer but considerably larger organizations with a clear political agenda — banning bullfights in Mérida and all of Yucatán.
Aside from being united in their primary goal, these organizations’ opinions are more ideologically distant. For instance, groups like Conexión Animal Mérida, aside from being against bullfights, are also vocal about veganism.
Then, some simply see bullfighting as an outdated cultural practice that is needlessly cruel. However, they would not necessarily have any problem with going out for arrachera tacos after the protest.
“Bullfighting does not have a place in any civilized society, and I would never go to one, but that does not mean I am against drinking milk or even eating meat. Regardless of how we feel about consuming animal products, we should keep our eye on the prize,” said Juan Carlos Pino, a Mérida resident at a protest outside Mérida’s Plaza de Toros in 2023.
There is also the fact that fans of bullfighting are quick to point out that it is inconsistent to be against bullfighting when the suffering of animals at industrial farms is more tremendous and certainly more prolonged.
One thing is for sure: If the online activity surrounding the upcoming bullfight on Oct. 27 is anything to go by, it will likely be among the biggest protests against corridas the city has ever seen.
Senior Editor Carlos Rosado van der Gracht is a Mexican expedition/Canadian photographer and adventure leader. Born in Mérida, Carlos holds multimedia, philosophy, and translation degrees from universities in Mexico, Canada and Norway.
