Las Ventas

Few bullrings have captured the attention or the atmosphere of la fiestas more than Madrid's massive brick bullring, Las Ventas. An architectural masterpiece, it also includes several statues on the exterior and a fine bullfightign museum within.

The Spaniards who have been  triumphal there are many. Cordobes, Lalanda, Manolete, Dominguin, Antonio Bienvenida, Curro Romero, Nino de la Capea, Galan, Manzanares, Litri, Pepe Luis Vazquez, Camino, Ordonez, Viti, Antonete, Manolo Vazquez, Chamaco, Morante, Juli, Pablo Hermoso de Mendoza, Pedres, Ortega Cano....We could go on and on.

Ditto for foreigners from Portugal, France, South America, Mexico and other lands as well. Richard Milian, Manolo Dos Santos, Curro Rivera, Castella, the Girons, Rincon, Carlos Arruza,....

Likewise, there have been disappointments, like the much hyped confirmation of the alternativa of Manolo Martinez from Mexico, who proved a bitter disappointment in this ring. The same holds true for the Madrid presentation of the American, John Fulton, who bombed on the sand here. 

There have been the fatalities. Marquez, Coli and Campeno to name a few, Then there were the young hopefuls, Casarrubios and Eduardo Liceaga, who did well in their Madrid presentations, but were killed elsewhere before taking the alternativa, the former via a goring in San Sebastian De Los Reyes as he placed the sword and the latter in San Roque, when caught in a badly-timed molinete.

There have been many nonfatal gorings that came close as well,. Perea, Raul Galindo, Antonio Rojas, Paco Pallares, Simon, Julio Aparicio hijo....

A virtual who is who in bullfighting has been seen in Las Ventas, as well as so many others who left without  pain or glory.

Fandi, Fundi, Rafael Ortega, Rafael de la Vina, Fernando Dos Santos, Raul Garcia, Rafaelillo, Gitanillo, David Silveti, Vicente Montes, Mariano Ramos, Pepe Mata, Luis Segura, Rafael de la Vina, Soro, Julian Maestro, Sandin, Curro Camacho, Avelino de la Fuente, Adrian Romero, Mario Cabre, Arturo Ruiz Loredo, Queretano, Bernado, Ruiz Miguel, Morenito De Talavera, Ojeda, Puno, Manuel Capetillo, Joseito Huerta, Alfredo Leal, Encabo, Corpas, the Esplas, Andres Vazquez, Teruel, Miguelin, Manolo Arruza, Ostos, Chibanga, Rafi Camino,  the Peraltas, Zoio, Paco Aguilar, Javi, Calerito, Martorell, Paquiri, Rivera Ordonez, Estudiante, Diego Puerta, Fermin Murillo, Rafael Llorente, Andaluz, Roberto Dominguez, Jose Fuentes, Curro Vazquez, Raul Zorita, Raul Aranda, Jerezano, Inclusero, Manolo Moreno, Mariano Lopez, Rovira, Vito, Gaston Santos, Moura, Luis Miguel Arranz, Damaso Gonzalez, Galloso, Espartaco, Marcelino Librero, Salvador Farelo, Santiago Lopez, Munoz, Pepe Caceres, Mesquita, Damaso Gomez, Sanchez Bejarano, Parrita, Cid,  Califa, Jesulin, Ponce, Jose :Joselito" Arroyo, Vitor Mendes,  Manolo Gonzalez, Manuel Caballero, Celso Ortega, Manolo Cortes, Juan Cuellar, Pedro Castillo, Carlos Corbacho, Abellan, Vicente Barrera, Pablo Lozano,Victor Puerto,,,again we could go on forever. The Good, The Bad & The Ugly. Some tell stories of glory. Some tell tales of woe.
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The embodiment of Blood & Sand!

Triumphs and tragedies, life and death, success and failure. Madrid's Las Ventas has seen it all. ,