Plaza de Toros de Acho
The Plaza de Toros de Acho is the largest bullring in the Peruvian capital Lima and at the same time the oldest in the country and the entire American continent. It is located in the historic Rímac district north of today's city center. Together with other buildings in the historic center of Lima, the arena has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1991 .
history
As in motherland Spain itself, bullfights (corridas) also took place in the Spanish colonial empire initially in makeshift wooden arenas, which were dismantled after the respective events. In 1765, Agustín de Landaburu y Ribera, the then mayor (alcalde) of Lima, applied to the viceroy (virrey) Manuel d'Amat i de Junyent (r. 1761–1776) for permission to build a permanent battleground (plaza fija para las corridas de toros) . After eight months of construction, the arena was inaugurated on January 30, 1766; even the name of the first bull (Albañil Blanco) is known. With interruptions during the years of the struggle for independence (1821–1826), several events took place every year. In the years 1944/45 restoration and conversion measures were carried out, during which the facility was enlarged by reducing the actual fighting area from 7,000 to approximately 13,500.
architecture
The slightly sloping outer walls of the arena are still made of wooden beams and adobe bricks ; this construction has withstood numerous earthquakes to this day . Originally, the outer covered balcony row was significantly deeper and more dominant compared to today's; the inner bleachers were a bit smaller. The fighting area has a diameter of approx. 60 m (previously 90 m); the outer diameter of the entire structure is approximately 120 m. As usual, the audience tiers are divided into “Sol” , “Sombra” and “Sol y Sombra” and their prices are graded accordingly.
Museo Taurino
On October 18, 1962, a bullfighting museum (Museo Taurino) was opened in a room in the arena , which presents numerous objects (weapons, clothing, photos, posters, etc.) on the history of Peruvian bullfighting.
Web links
- Plaza de Toros de Acho - Photos + Info (Spanish)
- Plaza de Toros de Acho - Information (Spanish)
- Plaza de Toros de Acho - video
Individual evidence
Coordinates: 12 ° 2 ′ 29 ″ S , 77 ° 1 ′ 24 ″ W