I have not seen that before. In Mexico City on Sunday, Christian Hernandez, decked out in traditionally garish attire of gold and pink (!), didn’t like what he saw when the giant bull made its appearance. Sizing up the half ton of muscle trailing 13 inches behind the tip of two horns must have had a quick sobering effect. Hernandez did a hasty 360 spin then beat a quick retreat to the arena’s nearest wall. He has since confessed: “I didn’t have the balls—it’s not my thing.”
But his troubles didn’t end after he hopped the wall. Promoters had him arrested for breach of contract. After paying a fine, he was released.
Mexican media have been unforgiving; “coward” is littered throughout most news accounts. I’m not so sure. I think the behavior may be genetic: Mexico was a French colony for much of the 1860s. Is there a chance that Hernandez’ provenance can be traced to the introduction of French blood under Maximillian?
Bullfighting is a risky business, no doubt. That holds as true today as ever. Hernandez was gored in the leg just a month ago. In late April, Jose Tomas, one of the world’s most famous bullfighters, was gored in the groin in Mexico City, losing 17 pints of blood. There’s some reason to think the Mexican capital will be host to more bullfighting spectacles. In January, Spanish national TV opted not to include bullfighting in its line-up for next year. Barcelona’s last bullring reportedly loses tens of thousands of dollars each time it hosts a contest. Not so in Mexico.
