Mexico, the country with the world's largest bullring, bans the killing of bulls

Mexico City this week banned bullfights that include the death of a bull and the use of sharp objects during the fight, after a session held amid protests from supporters and opponents of the bullfighting tradition.

The initiative, launched last week by the mayor's office of the capital city, was approved by the local Congress with 61 votes in favor and only one against, informed the legislative.

This reform seeks to "harmonize cultural tradition with the constitutional obligation to recognize and protect" animals, said congressman Víctor Hugo Romo, of the ruling Morena party, during the debate.

The bill even had the votes of the opposition, which in previous years had criticized initiatives that sought to prohibit this spectacle, which has been celebrated since the 16th century in Mexico City.

The regulation bans the killing of the bull, inside and outside the bullring, and the use of sharp objects such as lances, banderillas or swords, allowing only "the use of the cape and the muleta."

It will also oblige the protection of the bull's horns to avoid harm to other animals or people, and limits the time of the bullfights to 15 minutes per animal, with a maximum of half an hour in total.

The new legislation also creates the legal concept of a "bullfighting spectacle free of violence," which seeks to preserve the economic activities and jobs around bullfighting.

The vote was celebrated outside the legislative precinct, in the historic center, by hundreds of animal activists and militants of the Green Party, an ally of the ruling party.

Prior to the vote, there was some pushing and shoving between bullfighting supporters and opponents of the fiesta brava, which was controlled by riot police and did not escalate, according to AFP reporters.

The world's largest bullring

The Plaza Mexico is located in the Aztec capital, the largest bullring in the world with capacity for 42,000 spectators and which has been a catwalk for movie stars, politicians and wealthy businessmen.

According to figures from the Mexican Congress, in 2023 bullfighting shows had a global value of some 350 million dollars a year, in addition to generating 80,000 jobs and a revenue of some 50 million dollars.

Supporters of this tradition expressed their opposition to the reform last week, considering that it "completely distorts" its essence.

Representatives of La Plaza Mexico went to the outside of Congress, but did not react immediately to the decision.

However, last week, the entertainment center warned that with this reform the bullfights could become "an event alien to its true nature, which means the prelude to its disappearance" and the end of the breeding of the fighting bull.

In contrast, some animal defenders insisted this Tuesday on the total prohibition of bullfights.

Bullfighting tradition in the rest of the world

Four of Mexico's 32 states have banned bullfighting. Seven countries in the world still celebrate bullfighting fairs: Ecuador, Spain, France, Mexico, Peru, Portugal and Venezuela.

In May 2024, Colombia approved the prohibition of bullfighting and other animal abuse shows starting from 2027 and in the capital of Ecuador, Quito, the killing of the animal was prohibited.