The Malaga Provincial Council is celebrating the century and a half of life of the historic neomudéjar bullring with an extensive program of activities, including conferences, exhibitions, a commemorative stamp, a trading card collection, and concerts. This event reaffirms the building as an essential pillar of the province's cultural agenda, not just as a temple of bullfighting.
The construction of the bullring, designed by architect Joaquín Rucoba, began on June 16, 1874. Rucoba conceived a neomudéjar style structure with a hexadecagonal (16-sided) floor plan, and it was built in a record two years. The arena features a 52-meter diameter ring and a capacity of over 9,000 spectators after successive renovations. The final budget was 918,000 pesetas of the time.
The bullring was declared a Historic-Artistic Monument in 1976 and a Site of Cultural Interest in 1981. A restoration project, initiated in 2017 and completed in 2019, recovered the original facade and reorganized the space to accommodate new exhibition areas, concerts, and conference rooms, transforming it into a year-round cultural center. The facilities include 8 corrals, 10 pens, stables, a bullfighters' lounge, a chapel, and an infirmary.
Currently, the bullring is operated by the company “Tauroemoción”, led by businessman Alberto García. La Malagueta hosts events during Holy Week and August, notably the Picassiana bullfight in homage to Picasso.
Throughout its history, the bullring has hosted legendary bullfighters such as Antonio Ordóñez, considered the pivotal bullfighter of this arena. Other notable figures include Lagartijo, “Bombita”, Joselito El Gallo, Juan Belmonte, Miguel Márquez, Manolo Segura, Curro Romero, Enrique Ponce, El Juli, José Tomás, Javier Conde, Fortes, Fernando Cámara, Ricardo Ortíz, and Juan José Trujillo. Recently, the alternatives of Santana Claros and José Antonio Lavado took place here. The bullring has also witnessed tragic events, such as the severe goring that led to the death of bullfighter Manuel Baez “Litri” in 1926.
The bullring has been the stage for historic afternoons, such as August 14, 1959, which was described by Ernest Hemingway as one of the best bullfights he had ever witnessed. The first documented bullfight in the capital dates back to January 5, 1492, in the Plaza de la Constitución.
The inaugural corrida of La Malagueta took place on Sunday, June 11, 1876, featuring Rafael Molina ‘Lagartijo’, Antonio Carmona ‘El Gordito’, Manuel Fuentes ‘Bocanegra’, and Manuel Domínguez ‘Desperdicios’, facing bulls from the Murube ranch. The original poster for this event was discovered in 2024.
The 150th-anniversary commemoration includes a new graphic identity based on the 19th-century rhombus with a central circle. The cultural program features an Immersive Experience Center (CEIT), exhibitions on old posters, philately, and confraternity art, performances of the zarzuela Pan y Toros, a concert with the Miraflores y Gibraljaire band, and the unveiling of a commemorative tile honoring bullfighter Ricardo Ortiz. The closing gala will be held on October 19 at the Teatro Cervantes de Málaga.
Today, La Malagueta stands splendid thanks to the management of Tauroemoción, which has restored its top-tier status and generated excitement for the August Fair. The bullring, with its hexadecagonal architecture, has witnessed the city's growth and remains true to its essence. It continues to be a place that evokes the memory of figures like Lagartijo, Ordóñez, and the influence of Picasso, whose artistic genius was inspired by childhood memories experienced in its stands.
On August 22, bullfighters such as Morante de la Puebla, Roca Rey, and David de Miranda are scheduled to perform, facing bulls from Torrealta and Garcigrande. La Malagueta does not just celebrate a birthday; it accumulates eternity.
