Flamenco y Toros

As we wander about San Miguel de Allende, we search for posters and flyers of events that may be of interest to us. When we saw a flyer for Flamenco y Toros (Flamenco Dancing and Bulls), Helen quickly put the event on our Saturday afternoon schedule.

The picture of a matador with a bull charging a red cape on the flyer clearly indicated a bullfight was on the bill of fare.  However, the event was scheduled to be held in the northern part of the city at the Ventana's Golf Club and we just couldn't reconcile in our heads that a bullfight was to be held just off the back nine of any golf club. Oh, we have so much to learn.

Around 3:45 pm, we flagged down an independent taxi driver on the main avenue near our home. Using an undesignated taxi is considered a bit dicey, but it was still daylight and the driver was eager for a ride.

Our anxious driver underbid the ride at 50 pesos before realizing just how far out of town we were traveling. We kept track of our progress on Google Maps just to make sure that we were not diverted from our intended destination. After we arrived at the gated golf club, the driver was given additional directions where to drop us off.

We thanked the driver and upped the fare to 75 pesos and received a smile and a warm thanks from him as he departed.

We really did not know how things were going to unfold at this event. We found several tables set up with white table cloths under a canopy. Food and drinks were available for sale and a blue jean clad flamenco dancer was practicing on a small dance floor.  We later realized that this was the tailgating part of bullfighting.

We split a sandwich and later followed others when all of us were invited into the bull ring situated near the white table cloth seating area.

More ritual followed once we were seated in the ring. The flamenco dancers walked around the bull ring,  followed by a large draft horse that clopped about. The horse was a curiosity. Two long term SMA residents, John and his wife Shelia, who sat next to us, informed Jay that the draft horse would later drag the dead body of the bull from the ring. Yikes!

The picador then entered the ring on his heavily padded, blindfolded horse carrying his pic, or long metal pointed lance. Shortly after the bull entered the ring, the mounted picador used the pic to stab the bull in a very specific muscle on the bull's back to tire the animal and cause him to bleed as well as lower his head.

Two banderilleros also appeared in the ring. These men planted banderillas (short barbed sticks) into the back of bull. The intent of this ritual is to wither the animal's strength. It is also believed that sticking barbed metal in the bull's back will make the bull charge in a livelier fashion.  John remarked to Jay, "This will not be a fair fight."


The matador then entered with fanfare as live guitar music wafted over the bull ring.

In the last event before the fight began, a flamenco dancer entered the ring carrying a sign over her head announcing the name of the bull, its number and size of 500 kilograms (1,100 lbs).  John commented that larger bullfighting arenas sport bulls weighing 1000 kilograms. Yikes!

Celebratory flamenco dancing followed the bullfight. We used some artistic license in the design of our short video below.