Tijuana’s aging bullring heads out to pasture

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Tijuana’s downtown bullring played host to many a bloody battle between man and beast. And now, facing it’s own death, its not going down without a fight. Two months after work crews began demolishing the 50-year-old structure to make way for a residential tower, bullfight aficionados and history buffs have been granted a court injunction halting the work.

In it’s heyday in the 1960s and 70s, the bullring was packed to the rafters every Sunday, mostly with tourists from Southern California. Sometimes Hollywood stars like Ava Gardner and Marilyn Monroe would show up, say historians.

But after a new bullring was built near the beach, attendance waned. It may be too late to save the bullring; half the steel structure has already been torn down. But preservationists are working to at least salvage the façade or create a small museum.

The effort hasn’t attracted much support in this booming city where most residents are newcomers. A potential developer of the site considers the aging structure an eyesore that housed a brutal, antiquated sport.

“I don’t have any fond memories,” said Gabriel Robles, the managing partner of Baja Resort Advisors. “I always thought it was terrible. Why don’t we bring aback the lions and the Christians. How about gladiator fights?” State officials are expected to make their final decision in June. Stay tuned.

Posted by Richard Marosi in Tijuana