Plaza de toros de Ronda

Built in 1785, the Plaza de Toros found in Ronda is one of the oldest operational bullrings in Spain. The arena has a diameter of 66 metres, surrounded by a passage formed by two rings of stone. There are two layers of seating, each with five raised rows and 136 pillars that make up 68 arches. The Royal Box has a sloping roof covered in Arabic tiles.

Soon after the ring's creation in the 18th century, the Romero family of Ronda emerged to provide over three generations of exceptional bullfighters. The most important of them was Pedro Romero (1754-1839), a key figure in the history of bullfighting who slew more than 5,600 bulls. The " Ordóñez dynasty " also were known for their great bullfights in the Plaza.

Because of its rural location and the small size of the surrounding town of Ronda, this famous ring does not host as many bullfights as other, larger venues like Seville. The bullring in Ronda is open to the public, with a small admission charge. The bullring also houses an interesting museum dedicated to the sport.

In 1994 the bull fight arena in Ronda was the venue for the shooting of a music video, "Take A Bow" * [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Take_a_Bow] , by US singer Madonna * [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madonna_%28entertainer%29] . Originally, the artist's camp planned to invite fans to take part as extras, but at the last moment thesinger and her entourage decided otherwise. Madonna's co-star in the video was Spanish bullfighter Emilio Muñoz,playing her Latin lover who leaves her after spending a passionate night with the heartbroken blonde.

Resources

* [http://www.ronda.to/ronda_bull_ring.htm Bullring description at www.ronda.to.]