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Ole! Bullfights return in Peru after lengthy pandemic pause
Peru's bullfights, which are about as popular as soccer in the South American nation, made their much-anticipated return this weekend to the rings of Lima.
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Peru's bullfighter Andres Roca Rey, performs during the 'Senor de los Milagros' festival at the Acho bullring in Lima on December 4, 2016. (AFP/Ernesto Benavides)
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eru's bullfights, which are about as popular as soccer in the South American nation, made their much-anticipated return this weekend to the rings of Lima after a lengthy pandemic-induced hiatus.
Spanish bullfighter Juan Ortega and his Peruvian colleague Joaquin Galdos took to the ring at the Plaza La Esperanza in Lurin, a coastal district on the capital's south side, where the first bullfights since the Covid-19 outbreak in March 2020 were held Saturday.
"Ole, Ole!" the nearly 3,000 spectators shouted at various points throughout the fight.
All major public events were brought to a screeching halt last year in Peru, dealing a bitter blow not only to lovers of the ancient but controversial bullfighting tradition, but to the matadors at the center of the spectacle and the associated showmen and cattle breeders.
Bullfighters' assistants, costume seamstresses, cattle wranglers and transporters and food vendors were also affected by the lockdown.
Colonial tradition
Bullfighting in Peru is not for the faint of heart, as the contest ends with the death of the animal.
