The Orihuela bullring will have a second life years after its controversial partial demolition and rehabilitation. A group of bullfighting fans are promoting, together with the City Council, the creation of a social club and museum of the history of bullfighting in Orihuela next to the bullring on Calle Obispo Rocamora.
The name of the association about to be founded is the Asociación de Aficionados Prácticos de Orihuela and its president is to be the former Oriolano bullfighter Mariano Marín.
Promoted by former members of the extinct bullfighting club on Calle de la Acequia (closed for more than a year), its objective is to return the hope of bullfighting in the city.
The intention is to establish a coffee bar in a local establishment for gatherings and brotherhood meals. In addition, these fans are compiling what will be the basis of a museographic tour of the bullfighting history of Orihuela with old photography, historical documents, costumes, and period posters from private collections, an initiative for which they already have the support of the Council.
On Tuesday the received a special visit that, they hope, will be the first of many. Pedro Gutiérrez, better known as El Niño de la Capea, visited his Oriolano followers and, as manager of three important bullfighting ranches in Salamanca and Extremadura, was interested in the current state of the Oriolano bullring, where he met the president of the Moros y Cristianos, Manuel Ortuño, who attended, as an advisor, representing the Orihuela council.
The main objective of this new association is for the bullring to once again burst with life with bullfighting shows, and also with all types of cultural events.
With the Superior Court of Justice of the Valencian Community overturning the motion, approved in plenary session in 2015, to declare Orihuela as an anti-bullfighting city, this group of bullfighting enthusiasts insist that the door is still open to the return of bullfighting in the city.
Images
Main image – Bullfighting fans from Orihuela yesterday received the ‘Niño de la Capea’, who was interested in knowing the current state of the Bullring.
BW image: The bullring was inaugurated in 1907 with a bullfight involving Enrique Vargas ‘Minuto’, Manuel Mejías ‘Bienvenida’ and José Moreno ‘Lagartijillo Chico’, with a capacity of 7,000 spectators.
