Ronda bullring

Ronda is considered one of the cradles of modern bullfighting, which emerged in the 18th century. Territorial defence requirements led Felipe II in 1572 to found the Real Maestranza de Caballería de Ronda (Royal Riding School) where people could learn how to handle horses. With this in mind, this institution prepared a venue in the city of equestrian exercises that included games involving skill with bulls, as had been traditional in Spain since the Middle Ages.

In the 18th century when bullfighters on foot took over from those on horseback in these games with bulls, the Romero family appeared in Ronda and for three generations they provided the most unique bullfighters of the era. Special mention should go to Pedro Romero (1754-1839), a leading figure in bullfighting. He retired after fighting over 5,000 bulls without even getting a scratch. His personality led to his trade achieving social dignity and respect, as a blend of courage, skill, and aesthetic sense.

The boom in bullfighting led the Real Maestranza de Caballería de Ronda to build its first bullring, attributed to Martín de Aldehuela, the same architect who was responsible for the magnificent Puente Nuevo bridge over the Tajo River in Ronda. It was inaugurated in 1785 with a bullfight in which Pedro Romero and Pepe Illo performed.

It was built of stone, a spectacular two-storey building with arcades and Neoclassical columns. The terraces were covered by a gabled Arabic tile roof that made the building especially attractive and recognised throughout the world.

In the 20th century, a second dynasty of Ronda bullfighters, the Ordóñez family, were another contribution by Ronda to the history of bullfighting. Cayetano Ordóñez and his son Antonio conceived bullfighting in such a way that they aroused the interest of such illustrious characters as Orson Wells and Ernest Hemingway.

It was precisely Antonio Ordóñez who, in 1954, created the world-famous Goyesque bullfight, where the embellishments and the costumes take us back to the era of the painter Goya.

Inside the Plaza de Toros de Ronda you can visit the Bullfighting Museum, the Royal Saddlery of the Casa de Orleans and a Collection of antique firearms.