Ignacio Sánchez Mejías
Encyclopedia
Ignacio Sánchez Mejías was a famous Spanish bullfighter. He was also a writer. He enjoyed enormous popularity — he was attractive to women, admired by men, and a sympathetic personality to artists, especially those of the Generación del 27
.
When he died after a goring (cornada) in the Plaza of Manzanares
, he was memorialized by Miguel Hernández
, Rafael Alberti
and other famous poets, but probably the best of these works is Federico García Lorca
's "Llanto por la muerte de Ignacio Sánchez Mejías" ("Weeping for the Death of Ignacio Sánchez Mejías"), for many the best Spanish elegy since the Coplas of Jorge Manrique
.
, the greatest bullfighter of all time and without a doubt the most important influence in the life of Ignacio Sánchez.
. Detained at immigration, the police at first mistook them for anarchists, but Sánchez's brother Aurelio, who lived in Mexico, was able to secure their release. Sánchez took a job in Veracruz
, but he could not forget having played at bullfighting in the sandy ground near the Torre del Oro
in Seville; he made his debut in the ring as a banderillero in Morelia
in 1910.
Back in Spain, he appeared in Madrid in September 1913, and on June 21, 1914 in his native Seville. He received a grave goring, which broke his femur
. That he did not die was attributable to his youth and his physical strength, but the injury and its consequences delayed his career for years.
He continued as an outstanding banderillero, according to those who knew. These included Belmonte
, Rafael Gómez "El Gallo"
, and the youngest of los Gallos, his childhood friend Joselito, with whom he had become related by his marriage in 1915 to Joselito's sister, Lola Gómez Ortega. In the next three years he was a member of Joselito's team, as the primer banderillero in Spain. His brother-in-law was also exceptional with the banderilla
s, and in this school Ignacio Sánchez Mejías was formed as a matador.
at the hands of Joselito and with Belmonte also in the ring. His alternativa was confirmed in Madrid in April 1920, and already the characteristics he was known for throughout his career had appeared: very technical, very valiant, very popular, and with the ability to excite any crowd by his courage and his arrogance. He contracted more than 100 corridas for 1920, and only the occurrence of two more gorings prevented him from making all the appearances.
Still, Talavera was waiting. On May 16 he was alternating there with Joselito when the bull Bailaor gave his brother-in-law a tremendous, unexpected goring. While Joselito was taken to the infirmary, Sánchez killed the bull. Afterwards when he went to the infirmary to see his friend, he was already dead. He watched over the corpse that night, in tears. The photograph of Sánchez overwhelmed by grief supporting his head with an open hand and with the other caressing the face of the reclining Joselito, tranquil in his glory, is perhaps the most emotional in the history of tauromaquia
.
). She was an intelligent, attractive woman, an exceptional performer and great dancer, as was her sister Pilar. Although Sánchez had had many tempestuous affairs, like the time in Mexico when a husband caught him in bed with his wife and he had to make a hasty getaway, it was for La Argentinita only that he would leave his wife Lola — from the sister to the girlfriend.
In 1925 they made their relationship official, but time had passed. They were both famous, rich, intelligent, attractive, and, above all, in love. There was no divorce in Spain, but Sánchez and La Argentinita had two children together, whom he adored. He established them in a separate room in his property Pino Montano. In Madrid he had a room in the Palace, although he lived in the house of La Argentinita.
Through her he became a good friend of García Lorca. She had set to music "Los cuatro muleros" and other popular pieces for him. Through her he also met great musicians such as Manuel de Falla
, and through García Lorca Jorge Guillén
, Rafael Alberti
, José Bergamín
, Dámaso Alonso
, Gerardo Diego
and others.
In 1923 he did not fight. In 1924, after recovering his reputation, the bullfighting promoters reached an agreement not to pay him more than 7,000 pesetas for a fight. Sánchez insisted on applying the law of supply and demand, and in reprisal they removed him from the Festival of Seville in 1925. But he, with the agreement of the matador, entered the ring apparently spontaneously, impeccably dressed, and placed three exceptional pairs (of banderillas) in a Santa Coloma bull. The public acclaimed him, but the promoters set the critics against him.
in his tricentenary. Here was born the famous Generación del 27. In their best-known group photo, Sánchez appears with his ever-present tipped hat, elegant, smiling.
He wrote several theater works, including Sinrazón, on a psychoanalytic theme, which María Guerrero
introduced with great critical success, and which was translated into various languages. Also Zaya, an autobiographical piece on bullfighting and metaphysics. Other works included Ni más ni menos, a poetic farce; Soledad, an outline; and Las calles de Cádiz, a grand musical comedy for La Argentinita, with street urchins from La Isla, and including the popular songs of García Lorca.
He also led a conference on tauromaquia at Columbia University
in New York
. He was a movie actor, a polo player, an auto-racer, a novelist, a "poet", a friend of General Sanjurgo, an unsuccessful promoter of an airport in Seville, president of Real Betis
soccer club, of the Red Cross, etc.
. His lovesickness was so clear to García Lorca that he wanted him to end the affair because he was convinced that La Argentinita would kill them both.
Sánchez followed Auclair to Paris, where he ran into her husband. She was afraid, and did not want to make a commitment. She returned the following year to see him fight and triumph in Santander
. Thereafter their history does not continue, because it was interrupted by Sánchez's final destiny.
Domingo Ortega
suffered an automobile accident, and his proxy, Dominguín, asked Sánchez to substitute for him in Manzanares, on August 11, 1934. This came at a bad time for Sánchez, but because the bulls were great he did not want to seem like he was avoiding them. He had no car, no hotel, not even a cuadrilla (bullfighting team). For the first time in his life, he turned to the lottery and drew two tickets with the numbers of the bulls of Ayala that he was scheduled to fight. The first, number 16, Granadino, docile, thin-horned and coarse-skinned, nevertheless gored him.
He did not want to be operated on in the miserable infirmary and asked to be taken back to Madrid, but the ambulance took several hours and the trip went very badly. Two days later he was diagnosed with gangrene. He died, in pain and delirium, on the morning of the 13th.
----
This article is a free translation of the article Ignacio Sánchez Mejías at the Spanish Wikipedia, accessed March 30, 2007.
Generation of '27
The Generation of '27 was an influential group of poets that arose in Spanish literary circles between 1923 and 1927, essentially out of a shared desire to experience and work with avant-garde forms of art and poetry. Their first formal meeting took place in Seville in 1927 to mark the 300th...
.
When he died after a goring (cornada) in the Plaza of Manzanares
Manzanares, Ciudad Real
Manzanares, Ciudad Real is a municipality in Ciudad Real, Castile-La Mancha, Spain. It has a population of 19,186 . It is located near the Autovía A-4 ....
, he was memorialized by Miguel Hernández
Miguel Hernández
Miguel Hernández Gilabert was a 20th century Spanish poet and playwright.-Biography:Hernández was born in Orihuela, in the Valencian Community, to a poor family and received little formal education; he published his first book of poetry at 23, and gained considerable fame before his death...
, Rafael Alberti
Rafael Alberti
Rafael Alberti Merello was a Spanish poet, a member of the Generation of '27....
and other famous poets, but probably the best of these works is Federico García Lorca
Federico García Lorca
Federico del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús García Lorca was a Spanish poet, dramatist and theatre director. García Lorca achieved international recognition as an emblematic member of the Generation of '27. He is believed to be one of thousands who were summarily shot by anti-communist death squads...
's "Llanto por la muerte de Ignacio Sánchez Mejías" ("Weeping for the Death of Ignacio Sánchez Mejías"), for many the best Spanish elegy since the Coplas of Jorge Manrique
Jorge Manrique
Jorge Manrique was a major Spanish poet, whose main work, the Coplas a la muerte de su padre , is still read today...
.
Seville: Childhood and youth
Sánchez Mejías was born in 1891 in the Calle de la Palma, Seville. He was the son of a rich and stern doctor who insisted that he follow in his footsteps, but he never studied medicine. He received his high school diploma (bachillerato) by examination as an adult. Before, in the Escolapios (Catholic schools) he played truant in order to play at bullfighting with other children, among them José Gómez, years later called JoselitoJosé Gómez Ortega
José Gómez Ortega , commonly known as Joselito , was a Spanish matador in the early twentieth century.Joselito was considered a child prodigy and was the youngest bullfighter to receive the title of matador de toros, at the age of 17. Joselito followed in arch-rival Juan Belmonte's footsteps and...
, the greatest bullfighter of all time and without a doubt the most important influence in the life of Ignacio Sánchez.
To America and back to Spain; banderillero
At the age of 17 he embarked with another youth as a stowaway on a ship for New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. Detained at immigration, the police at first mistook them for anarchists, but Sánchez's brother Aurelio, who lived in Mexico, was able to secure their release. Sánchez took a job in Veracruz
Veracruz
Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave , is one of the 31 states that, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided in 212 municipalities and its capital city is...
, but he could not forget having played at bullfighting in the sandy ground near the Torre del Oro
Torre del Oro
The Torre del Oro is a dodecagonal military watchtower in Seville, southern Spain, built by the Almohad dynasty in order to control access to Seville via the Guadalquivir river....
in Seville; he made his debut in the ring as a banderillero in Morelia
Morelia
Morelia is a city and municipality in the north central part of the state of Michoacán in central Mexico. The city is in the Guayangareo Valley and is the capital of the state. The main pre-Hispanic cultures here were the P'urhépecha and the Matlatzinca, but no major cities were founded in the...
in 1910.
Back in Spain, he appeared in Madrid in September 1913, and on June 21, 1914 in his native Seville. He received a grave goring, which broke his femur
Femur
The femur , or thigh bone, is the most proximal bone of the leg in tetrapod vertebrates capable of walking or jumping, such as most land mammals, birds, many reptiles such as lizards, and amphibians such as frogs. In vertebrates with four legs such as dogs and horses, the femur is found only in...
. That he did not die was attributable to his youth and his physical strength, but the injury and its consequences delayed his career for years.
He continued as an outstanding banderillero, according to those who knew. These included Belmonte
Belmonte
-People and titles:*Prince Belmonte or Princess Belmonte, a Spanish and Italian noble title*Domenico Pignatelli di Belmonte, a Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church*Gennaro Granito Pignatelli di Belmonte, a Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church...
, Rafael Gómez "El Gallo"
Rafael Gomez Ortega
Rafael Gómez Ortega, also known as El Gallo was an early twentieth century bullfighter. He came from a family of famous bullfighters, including his matador father, Fernando Gómez García and matador younger brother, José Gómez Ortega...
, and the youngest of los Gallos, his childhood friend Joselito, with whom he had become related by his marriage in 1915 to Joselito's sister, Lola Gómez Ortega. In the next three years he was a member of Joselito's team, as the primer banderillero in Spain. His brother-in-law was also exceptional with the banderilla
Banderilla
Banderilla is a diminutive meaning small flag in the Spanish language and may refer to :*Banderilla in the English language most often refers to the colorfully decorated and barbed sticks used in bullfighting, as illustrated on this page....
s, and in this school Ignacio Sánchez Mejías was formed as a matador.
Matador de toros
In 1919 he took his alternativa in BarcelonaBarcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
at the hands of Joselito and with Belmonte also in the ring. His alternativa was confirmed in Madrid in April 1920, and already the characteristics he was known for throughout his career had appeared: very technical, very valiant, very popular, and with the ability to excite any crowd by his courage and his arrogance. He contracted more than 100 corridas for 1920, and only the occurrence of two more gorings prevented him from making all the appearances.
Still, Talavera was waiting. On May 16 he was alternating there with Joselito when the bull Bailaor gave his brother-in-law a tremendous, unexpected goring. While Joselito was taken to the infirmary, Sánchez killed the bull. Afterwards when he went to the infirmary to see his friend, he was already dead. He watched over the corpse that night, in tears. The photograph of Sánchez overwhelmed by grief supporting his head with an open hand and with the other caressing the face of the reclining Joselito, tranquil in his glory, is perhaps the most emotional in the history of tauromaquia
Bullfighting
Bullfighting is a traditional spectacle of Spain, Portugal, southern France and some Latin American countries , in which one or more bulls are baited in a bullring for sport and entertainment...
.
Love life and intellectual life; contact with Generación del 27
Perhaps the memory of Joselito led him to a liaison with the girlfriend of the dead matador, Encarnación López (La ArgentinitaLa Argentinita
La Argentinita is the stage name of a famous dancer born Encarnación López Julvez in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Among her performances was as the Butterfly in the premiere of Federico García Lorca's El maleficio de la mariposa...
). She was an intelligent, attractive woman, an exceptional performer and great dancer, as was her sister Pilar. Although Sánchez had had many tempestuous affairs, like the time in Mexico when a husband caught him in bed with his wife and he had to make a hasty getaway, it was for La Argentinita only that he would leave his wife Lola — from the sister to the girlfriend.
In 1925 they made their relationship official, but time had passed. They were both famous, rich, intelligent, attractive, and, above all, in love. There was no divorce in Spain, but Sánchez and La Argentinita had two children together, whom he adored. He established them in a separate room in his property Pino Montano. In Madrid he had a room in the Palace, although he lived in the house of La Argentinita.
Through her he became a good friend of García Lorca. She had set to music "Los cuatro muleros" and other popular pieces for him. Through her he also met great musicians such as Manuel de Falla
Manuel de Falla
Manuel de Falla y Matheu was a Spanish Andalusian composer of classical music. With Isaac Albéniz, Enrique Granados and Joaquín Turina he is one of Spain's most important musicians of the first half of the 20th century....
, and through García Lorca Jorge Guillén
Jorge Guillén
Jorge Guillén y Álvarez was a Spanish poet, a member of the Generation of '27.-Biography:Jorge Guillén was born in Valladolid. His life paralleled that of his friend Pedro Salinas, whom he succeeded as a Spanish teaching assistant at the Collège de Sorbonne in the University of Paris from 1917 to...
, Rafael Alberti
Rafael Alberti
Rafael Alberti Merello was a Spanish poet, a member of the Generation of '27....
, José Bergamín
José Bergamín
José Bergamín Gutiérrez was a Spanish writer, essayist, poet, and playwright. His father served as president of the canton of Málaga; his mother was a devout Catholic...
, Dámaso Alonso
Dámaso Alonso
Dámaso Alonso y Fernández de las Redondas was a Spanish poet, philologist and literary critic. Though a member of the Generation of '27, his best-known work dates from the 1940s onwards. -Early life and education:...
, Gerardo Diego
Gerardo Diego
Gerardo Diego Cendoya was a Spanish poet, a member of the Generation of '27.Gerardo Diego taught language and literature at institutes of learning in Soria, Gijón, Santander and Madrid...
and others.
In 1923 he did not fight. In 1924, after recovering his reputation, the bullfighting promoters reached an agreement not to pay him more than 7,000 pesetas for a fight. Sánchez insisted on applying the law of supply and demand, and in reprisal they removed him from the Festival of Seville in 1925. But he, with the agreement of the matador, entered the ring apparently spontaneously, impeccably dressed, and placed three exceptional pairs (of banderillas) in a Santa Coloma bull. The public acclaimed him, but the promoters set the critics against him.
Critic, poet, actor, sportsman
Sánchez then became a critic of his own faenas in La Unión. He held his own in this war of nerves and of image, but after several serious gorings, he got tired and left the circuit in 1927. That year he returned to Seville and arranged a meeting of young poets at his estate who wanted to pay homage to Luis de GóngoraLuis de Góngora
Luis de Góngora y Argote was a Spanish Baroque lyric poet. Góngora and his lifelong rival, Francisco de Quevedo, are widely considered to be the most prominent Spanish poets of their age. His style is characterized by what was called culteranismo, also known as Gongorism...
in his tricentenary. Here was born the famous Generación del 27. In their best-known group photo, Sánchez appears with his ever-present tipped hat, elegant, smiling.
He wrote several theater works, including Sinrazón, on a psychoanalytic theme, which María Guerrero
María Guerrero
María Guerrero Torija was a prominent Spanish theatre actor, producer and director.-Life and work:María Guerrero Torija was born in Madrid, in 1867. She enrolled at the Official School of Declamation, in the prestigious Madrid Royal Conservatory, where she was trained in the theatre with dramatist...
introduced with great critical success, and which was translated into various languages. Also Zaya, an autobiographical piece on bullfighting and metaphysics. Other works included Ni más ni menos, a poetic farce; Soledad, an outline; and Las calles de Cádiz, a grand musical comedy for La Argentinita, with street urchins from La Isla, and including the popular songs of García Lorca.
He also led a conference on tauromaquia at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. He was a movie actor, a polo player, an auto-racer, a novelist, a "poet", a friend of General Sanjurgo, an unsuccessful promoter of an airport in Seville, president of Real Betis
Real Betis
Real Betis Balompié S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Seville, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded on 12 September 1907, it currently plays in La Liga, holding home games at Estadio Benito Villamarín....
soccer club, of the Red Cross, etc.
Tragic end: Return to the bulls and to love affairs
In 1934 he returned to bullfighting. Earlier he had had a torrid affair with the French Hispanist Marcelle Auclair, whom he had met at the home of Jorge GuillénJorge Guillén
Jorge Guillén y Álvarez was a Spanish poet, a member of the Generation of '27.-Biography:Jorge Guillén was born in Valladolid. His life paralleled that of his friend Pedro Salinas, whom he succeeded as a Spanish teaching assistant at the Collège de Sorbonne in the University of Paris from 1917 to...
. His lovesickness was so clear to García Lorca that he wanted him to end the affair because he was convinced that La Argentinita would kill them both.
Sánchez followed Auclair to Paris, where he ran into her husband. She was afraid, and did not want to make a commitment. She returned the following year to see him fight and triumph in Santander
Santander, Cantabria
The port city of Santander is the capital of the autonomous community and historical region of Cantabria situated on the north coast of Spain. Located east of Gijón and west of Bilbao, the city has a population of 183,446 .-History:...
. Thereafter their history does not continue, because it was interrupted by Sánchez's final destiny.
Domingo Ortega
Domingo Ortega
Domingo Ortega , was a Spanish matador.Born Domingo López Ortega he was the son of a humble farmer and helped with the farm work...
suffered an automobile accident, and his proxy, Dominguín, asked Sánchez to substitute for him in Manzanares, on August 11, 1934. This came at a bad time for Sánchez, but because the bulls were great he did not want to seem like he was avoiding them. He had no car, no hotel, not even a cuadrilla (bullfighting team). For the first time in his life, he turned to the lottery and drew two tickets with the numbers of the bulls of Ayala that he was scheduled to fight. The first, number 16, Granadino, docile, thin-horned and coarse-skinned, nevertheless gored him.
He did not want to be operated on in the miserable infirmary and asked to be taken back to Madrid, but the ambulance took several hours and the trip went very badly. Two days later he was diagnosed with gangrene. He died, in pain and delirium, on the morning of the 13th.
Trivia
- There is a street that bears his name in the Feria de Abril, Sevilla.
- The Valencian sculptor Mariano BenlliureMariano BenlliureMariano Benlliure was a Spanish sculptor, who executed many public monuments and religious sculptures in Spain, working in a heroic realist style....
included him among the figures carrying the coffin of Joselito, in the mausoleum in the cemetery of San Fernando in Seville, since 1926. Ignacio Sánchez Mejías also reposes near the monument. - He is a subject of a number of documentary movies and at least one dramatized biography (Ignacio Sánchez Mejías, el torero renacentista, forthcoming).
- Was once president of Seville football club Real BetisReal BetisReal Betis Balompié S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Seville, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded on 12 September 1907, it currently plays in La Liga, holding home games at Estadio Benito Villamarín....
.
External links
Chronology of his career- "Lament for Ignacio Sánchez Mejías" by Federico García Lorca (English translation)
----
This article is a free translation of the article Ignacio Sánchez Mejías at the Spanish Wikipedia, accessed March 30, 2007.