Plaza de toros de Ronda
Encyclopedia
Ronda
Ronda is a city in Spanish province of Málaga. It is located about West from the city of Málaga, within the autonomous community of Andalusia. Its population is approximately 35,000 inhabitants.-History:...
, Málaga
Málaga
Málaga is a city and a municipality in the Autonomous Community of Andalusia, Spain. With a population of 568,507 in 2010, it is the second most populous city of Andalusia and the sixth largest in Spain. This is the southernmost large city in Europe...
is one of the oldest operational bullring
Bullring
A bullring is an arena where bullfighting is performed. Bullrings are often associated with Spain, but they can also be found in neighboring countries and the New World...
s in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. The arena has a diameter
Diameter
In geometry, a diameter of a circle is any straight line segment that passes through the center of the circle and whose endpoints are on the circle. The diameters are the longest chords of the circle...
of 66 metres (216.5 ft), surrounded by a passage formed by two rings of stone. There are two layers of seating, each with five raised rows and 136 pillars
Column
A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a vertical structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. For the purpose of wind or earthquake engineering, columns may be designed to resist lateral forces...
that make up 68 arch
Arch
An arch is a structure that spans a space and supports a load. Arches appeared as early as the 2nd millennium BC in Mesopotamian brick architecture and their systematic use started with the Ancient Romans who were the first to apply the technique to a wide range of structures.-Technical aspects:The...
es. The Royal Box has a sloping roof
Roof
A roof is the covering on the uppermost part of a building. A roof protects the building and its contents from the effects of weather. Structures that require roofs range from a letter box to a cathedral or stadium, dwellings being the most numerous....
covered in Arabic tiles.
History
Construction of the bullring started in 1779 and finished in 1785. It stands on the west edge of Ronda, about two blocks from Puente NuevoPuente Nuevo
The Puente Nuevo is the newest and largest of three bridges that span the -deep chasm that carries the Guadalevín River and divides the city of Ronda, in southern Spain. The architect was José Martin de Aldehuela, who died in Málaga in 1802...
and the El Tajo canyon. The design is attributed to the architect Martín de Aldehuela
Martín de Aldehuela
José Martín de Aldehuela was a Spanish architect, born in Manzanera, in Teruel Province, Aragon.-Cathedral:...
.
Bullfighters
Soon after the ring's creation in the 18th century, the Romero family of Ronda emerged to provide over three generations of bullfightersBullfighting
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...
. The most important of them was Pedro Romero
Pedro Romero
Pedro Romero Martínez was a legendary bullfighter from the Romero family in Ronda, Spain. His grandfather Francisco is credited with advancing the art of using the muletilla; his father and two brothers were also toreros...
(1754-1839), a key figure in the history of bullfighting who slew more than 5,600 bull
Bull
Bull usually refers to an uncastrated adult male bovine.Bull may also refer to:-Entertainment:* Bull , an original show on the TNT Network* "Bull" , an episode of television series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation...
s. The Romero
Romero (bullfighter family)
Romero is family of bullfighters from Ronda, Spain, dating back to the 18th century. The only other family with a comparable history in bullfighting are the Ordóñez, whose founder, Cayetano Ordóñez, "El Niño de la Palmas", was also from Ronda....
and Ordóñez
Ordóñez (bullfighter family)
Ordóñez is a bullfighter family that has flourished since 1917 in Ronda; it is one of two significant bullfighter families from the same city; the other one is the Romero family.Notable members of the Ordóñez family are:...
families were known for their great bullfights in the Plaza, and a statue of Cayetano Ordóñez
Cayetano Ordóñez
Cayetano Ordóñez is the founder of the Ordóñez family of bullfighters.His parents owned a shoeshop called La Palma, which gave him his nickname . In 1917 he first began to perform as a bullfighter in the ranches of the area were he lived...
stands outside one of the entrances to the bullring.this building can hold almost 1,250 spectators at any given time.
Location
Because of its rural location and the small size of the surrounding town of RondaRonda
Ronda is a city in Spanish province of Málaga. It is located about West from the city of Málaga, within the autonomous community of Andalusia. Its population is approximately 35,000 inhabitants.-History:...
, this bullring does not host as many bullfights as other, larger venues: Seville for example. The bullring in Ronda is open to the public, charging a small admission fee.
Other uses
In 1994, US singer MadonnaMadonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
shot her music video, Take A Bow, in the bull fight arena, and planned to invite fans to take part as extras, but just before shooting, that plan was discarded. Madonna's co-star in the video was Spanish bullfighter Emilio Muñoz
Emilio Muñoz
Emilio Muñoz is a Spanish film and video actor; and bullfighter.-Acting:Muñoz has appeared in two Madonna music videos, Take a Bow and its sequel, You'll See ....
, who played her Latin lover who leaves her after spending a passionate night with the heartbroken blonde. In 2001, the bullring was the location of the final quiz and execution in the first season of the U.S. reality TV show The Mole
The Mole (U.S. Season 1)
The First season of The Mole aired on ABC in 2001. It was produced by Stone Stanley Entertainment and was released to DVD by Eagle Rock Entertainment on March 8, 2005...
, hosted by Anderson Cooper
Anderson Cooper
Anderson Hays Cooper is an American journalist, author, and television personality. He is the primary anchor of the CNN news show Anderson Cooper 360°. The program is normally broadcast live from a New York City studio; however, Cooper often broadcasts live on location for breaking news stories...
.