Dakota 95, Nápoles, Benito Juárez, 03810 Ciudad de México, CDMX, Mexico
D.H. Lawrence detested it. Langston Hughes loved it. It’s probably safe to say that no one who has seen bullfighting comes away ambivalent about it. If you can stomach the blood and the inevitable death of the bull (and, perhaps, the injury of the matador), then a Sunday afternoon at Plaza México, the largest bullring in the world, is one place to experience a centuries-old tradition. The Spanish brought bullfighting to
Mexico when they arrived in the New World, and though the sport has become increasingly controversial in recent years (it’s even been banned entirely in the Mexican states of Coahuila, Guerrero, and Sonora, and its prohibition has been discussed–but not yet passed– in
Mexico City), it’s one of the few places where such formality, pageantry, skill, and–yes, some would say– savagery can be witnessed for the price of a few pesos.