La Malagueta bullring is a singular icon in Malaga, declared an Asset of Cultural Interest in 1981. It stands out for its neo-Mudejar architectural style and its unusual 18-sided polygonal structure. It is designed with brick and iron, which made it the first building in the city to use this material. Its arcades and ornamental details, such as semicircular arches and clay tiles, allows it classic elegance to stands out in Malaga’s environment.
Its construction began in 1874 under the direction of the architect Joaquín Rucoba, and it was inaugurated on June 11th 1876. Famous bullfighters as such as Rafael Molina “Lagartijo,” Antonio Carmona y Luque “El Gordito,” and Manuel Rodríguez “Desperdicios,” participated in the inaugural bullfight. They faced bulls from the Murube ranch.
Thanks to its 9 032 seats, the building maintains its relevance as a historical heritage and point of interest in the city. Nowadays, the bullring also hosts important bullfighting events, such as the Corrida Picassiana and the August Fair celebrations, for example.
Throughout the year, the art of bullfighting considerably evolved. Ronda’s school played a key role in its process and contributed to the changes in bullfight’s history. Indeed, the bullfighter Pedro Romero, a fundamental pillar in the history of bullfighting, established a new bullfighting concept in the 18th century.
With him, the technic really developped. The bullfighter used to put a particular note on the suerte de matar which, in Ronda, was characterized by its speed and austerity.
Romero turned the confrontation into an art where sobriety and efficiency are essential to dominate the bull. This conception of bullfighting, focused on precision, consolidated what we call Ronda’s school, which no longer refers only to a school but to a specific style. Currently, Ronda is one of the great references in the art of bullfighting, with Seville.
Near Ronda, in Malaga, bullfighting also consolidated its presence from the fifteenth century. After the capture of Granada in 1492, bullfighting festivities were held in the Plaza de la Constitución. On thoses occasions, barriers were installed in the streets to allow it to go smoothly.
Throughout its history, Malaga has had several removable enclosures, such as the Plaza de la Pescadería, the Plaza del Carmen, the Plaza de Toros Vieja or the Plaza de Álvarez en el Molinillo. These celebrations, together with the development of new bullfighting venues, consolidated Malaga’s status as a relevant center for bullfighting. Here, bullfights not only are an entertainment but a fundamental component of the social and cultural life of the city.
Discover the bullfights to be held soon in the Malaga bullring
The Romero dynasty, originally from Ronda, is one of the most influential in the history of bullfighting. Founded in the 18th century by Francisco Romero, who is credited with the invention of the muleta. The saga continued with his son Juan Romero and culminated with Pedro Romero, the most emblematic figure in this lineage. Pedro Romero, born in 1754, became the first matador to achieve considerable social respect, both in and out of the ring. He is remembered for his impeccable technique and as the one who killed more than 5,600 bulls without being gored a signle time. His style and professionalism raised the figure of the bullfighter to an unprecedented level of dignity. He also was immortalized by Francisco de Goya in the series of engravings Bullfighting.
The Ordóñez dynasty is one of the most prestigious one in bullfighting world, marked by the innovation and charisma of two central figures: Cayetano Ordóñez Aguilera, known as El Niño de la Palmaand and his son Antonio Ordóñez. Cayetano, born in Ronda in 1904, entered the world of bullfighting at a young age. Throughout his carreer, he popularised and consolidated Ronda’s goyesca bullfight, an annual event that honors the city’s bullfighting legacy and recreates the aesthetics of Goya’s era. This show has become one of Ronda’s most emblematic and enduring traditions.
Antonio Ordóñez, born in 1932, continued and expanded the family legacy, standing out not only for his skills in the bullring but also for his public life and friendships with cultural figures.
His relationship with the writer Ernest Hemingway, for example, contributed to the popularization of the spanish bullfight on a global scale. In his book Bloody summer, in which the author reinforced Antonio’s image as one of the most important bullfighters of his time. Antonio Ordóñez’s grandsons, Francisco and Cayetano Rivera Ordóñez, have continued the family’s bullfighting tradition, placing themselves as outstanding figures in contemporary bullfighting. Both have taken the alternative in the historic Goyesque bullfight of Ronda, joining the legacy of their ancestors and keeping alive the essence of the Ordóñez dynasty in today’s bullfights.
The Galán family family has contributed notable figures to bullfighting in Malaga, being Antonio José Galán (nicknamed “El Loco Galán”). El Loco Galán) and his son David Galán who represent his most characteristic legacy. Antonio José, raised in Fuengirola, was a bullfighter known for his great skill with his left hand and his technique to kill without the muleta. He achieved great popularity in America, especially in Peru, where he made 27 performances in the Lima bullring and established himself as a reference. He was the manager of the Mijas bullring and his tragic death in a traffic accident in 2001 left a deep mark on the bullfighting world.
His son, David Galán, made his debut in Fuengirola in 2001 and took the alternative in Malaga in 2005 by the hand of José Mari Manzanares. Since then, he has kept the family tradition alive, fighting in Peruvian bullrings and other bullrings outside the major Spanish fairs. Alfonso Galán, Antonio José’s brother, also figures in the dynasty. Alfonso made his debut in Caracas in 1974 and confirmed his alternative in Las Ventas in 1979, which consecrated him in the bullfighting world and reinforced the Galán surname.
Manuel Ortiz Benítez, known as Manolo Ortiz, was a bullfighter and banderillero from Malaga from a family deeply linked to bullfighting. His grandfather was a janitor in the Malaga bullring, which strengthened his connection with bullfighting from a young age. After his alternative in La Malagueta in 1971 and confirmation in Las Ventas in 1972, he became a leading figure in the creation of the Bullfighting School of Malaga, promoting local bullfighting. In recognition of his dedication, he received the Medal of Andalusia in 1986, leaving a lasting legacy in the bullfighting community.
Ricardo Ortiz, son of Manolo, continued the family legacy by training at the Bullfighting School of Malaga and gaining notoriety from the beginning. With a style that balances strength and elegance, he has stood out both in Spain and Latin America, proudly maintaining the family’s bullfighting tradition and the name of Malaga in the world of bullfighting.
Javier Condeborn in Malaga, is one of the most recognized bullfighters of his city. Son of the novillero Curro Conde, he began his career in 1989 and quickly stood out for a unique style full of sensitivity. His alternative in La Malagueta in 1995, sponsored by El Niño de la Capea, was the beginning of a career characterized by a bullfighting full of duende and deep connection with the public.
One of the most memorable moments of his career was La Noche Mágica de La Malagueta, where the Malaga public carried him to the hotel on his shoulders in one of the most emblematic evenings of the bullring. In addition, Javier Conde was one of the promoters of the Corrida Picassiana de Málaga, a celebration that unites bullfighting and art in honor of Picasso, consolidating his commitment to Malaga’s culture and legacy.
Outside the bullfighting arena, Javier Conde has been active in the cultural sphere. Married to the singer Estrella Morente, he has explored the world of cinema and has remained close to his Andalusian roots, bringing an artistic dimension to bullfighting that makes him a respected and unique figure.
The Fortes family is a pioneer in Spanish bullfighting thanks to Mari Fortes, a leading figure who began her career as a novillera at a time when women still faced limitations in bullfighting on foot. Born in Cuevas Bajas, Malaga, her vocation came unexpectedly at the age of nine, and, with determination, she trained in bullfighting after the repeal of prohibition in 1974. Mari Fortes fought in important bullrings such as La Monumental de Barcelona, Pamplona and La Malagueta, and although an injury prevented her from taking the alternative, she has been a bullfighting businesswoman, teacher at the Escuela Taurina de Málaga, bullfighting critic and livestock farmer with her husband, the banderillero Gaspar Jiménez.
Saúl Jiménez Fortes, his son, has made history by being the first bullfighter to inherit his mother’s profession. Raised in a bullfighting environment and trained with her, from a young age he showed a great vocation and dedication. He has had outstanding performances in Las Ventas, Pamplona and La Malagueta, where he starred in a brave bullfight with six bulls. Nicknamed “the bullfighter of miracles” for his ability to overcome serious goring, Saúl has continued the Fortes’ bullfighting legacy, keeping their tradition alive in the ring with a reputation of great courage and professionalism.
Mari Paz VegaShe is a bullfighter from Malaga who is a pioneer figure in bullfighting, being one of the first women to take the alternative in Spain. She comes from a family passionate about bullfighting; her mother was a follower of Antonio Ordóñez, and her father, Francisco Vega, was a novillero and a groom. When he was only nine years old, he began training under the supervision of his father, and later trained at the Escuela Taurina de Málaga under the guidance of Mari Fortes. At the age of fourteen, she killed her first bull, and after an outstanding stage as a novillera, she took the alternative in Cáceres on September 29, 1997.
Mari Paz has developed an international career with important performances in Mexico, Venezuela and other countries in the Americas, where she has reaped numerous successes. Among her most outstanding achievements is the fact that she has cut two ears in Plaza Mexico in 2011, being the only woman to do so to date. Throughout more than twenty years in the profession, she has received multiple awards, such as the Trophy for the Best Toreo de Capote at the Feria de Málaga and the San Sebastián de Oro Award in Venezuela, consolidating her position as one of the most influential and respected women in the world of bullfighting.
Manolo Seguraborn in Malaga on March 1, 1934, is remembered as the matador who has walked out of La Malagueta’s Puerta Grande the most times, a recognition that led the Provincial Council of Malaga to name this emblematic gate in his honor. His bullfighting career began on September 8, 1949 when he made his debut as a banderillero, without previous experience in front of a bull, and was consolidated as a novillero after his outstanding performance in Madrid in 1954, where he cut two ears.
In 1958, he took the alternative in Malaga from Julio Aparicio, with the testimony of Chicuelo (son) and bulls of Juan Pedro Domecq, a decisive step that he confirmed in Madrid the following year with Antonio Bienvenida and Manolo Vázquez as witnesses. Despite his promising start, his career was not extensive, and in 1962 he decided to retire, although he occasionally reappeared at charity festivals. In his retirement years, Segura left a profound mark on Malaga bullfighting, and his legacy as a figure of La Malagueta lives on through the Puerta Grande that bears his name.
The Malaga Bullring is more than a bullfighting icon; it is a space deeply linked to Pablo Picasso, who as a child was fascinated by the bullfights he witnessed at La Malagueta with his father. This experience marked his life and his art, making bullfighting a recurring theme in his work. Bulls, bullfighters and the drama of the ring symbolized for Picasso the struggle, life and death, reflected in engravings, paintings and ceramics that transformed popular traditions into avant-garde art.
Today, visiting La Malagueta is not only a tribute to the bullfighting tradition, but also a journey into the imagination of a genius who brought bullfighting to the universal artistic level. This connection between Picasso and the bullring is a living testimony to his passion for his Malaga roots and for a tradition that defined his work and his vision of the world.
