Mexico City is set to return to its bullfighting tradition after the 2022 ban on the practice was overturned last December. This also meant a renewed concern from animal activists who once praised the ban.
While a date for a new show at Plaza Mexico - Mexico City's bullfighting ring - is yet to be announced, the resumption plans were condemned by activist group Justicia Justa. The organization alleged that bullfights created an unhealthy environment by subjecting residents of the Mexican capital to violence and animal cruelty.
Mexico City Congress member Jorge Gaviño was quoted by the Associated Press saying that he considered the lifting of the court ban a blow to animal rights, but he was also working with other groups to present new appeals to stop the practice.
"It's very complicated, but it doesn't discourage us because sooner or later we're going to achieve the thing we set out to do," he said. "This is irreversible."
He also allegedly observed that bullfighting festivals have a decreasing audience because humans have learned to recognize the pain of other sentient creatures.
Pros, Cons of Bullfighting Ban
According to Human Society International, there were around 180,000 bulls that were killed in bullfights every year, and even more were being killed or injured in connected events like bull parties. The organization also claimed that bulls "suffer from a protracted death in the bullfighting arena, weakened and tormented both physically and mentally."
However, a December 2023 Mexican Supreme Court ruling stated that the groups that brought the case against bullfighting have not proved that the fights caused "imminent and irreparable damage." At the same time, the bullfighting ban also restricted the rights of people connected to the industry.
On the other hand, bullfighting generates 80,000 direct jobs, with an additional 146,000 lateral ones across Mexico alone, according to figures released by the National Association of Breeders of Fighting Bulls in Mexico. The figures translate to a $400 million annual revenue that was quickly taken away by the bullfighting ban.
Plaza Mexico is one of only three stadia in the world - and the only one outside Spain - that could be considered as the most prominent bullfighting rings. The other two are Las Ventas in Madrid and La Maestranza in Seville.
One of the supporters of the controversial sport is 63-year-old writer Daniel Salinas, who documented the history of Plaza Mexico and the desolation the ban brought to the industry and the people involved in it - from the matadors to the ordinary fans.
"That they took away your right to come, well, the truth is that you feel your freedom has been curtailed," he said.
