The Plaza México suspends bullfights due to new legislation: "The spectacle is unviable without violence."

The Plaza México, the largest bullfighting venue in the world, has acknowledged that, under the conditions imposed by recent legislation passed by the Mexico City Congress, it is unviable to continue holding traditional bullfights.

Last March, legislators in Mexico City, backed by President Claudia Sheinbaum, approved "bloodless bullfights," a new law regulating bullfighting "so as not to harm the animal or the bullfighter."

However, the company that manages the Plaza México, coinciding with the 499th anniversary of the first bullfighting event in Mexico, has issued a statement stating that the new restrictions - which eliminate essential practices such as the lance, the banderillas and the death of the bull in the ring - represent "a de facto ban" on bullfighting .

"It is not possible to hold traditional bullfights and bullfights," the text states, which considers that the current legal framework makes bullfighting "without violence" "technically and legally unviable ."

The Plaza México deplores what it considers a structural blow to a centuries-old practice and warns of its cultural, social, and economic consequences. It claims that the reform "will lead to the extinction of bullfighting in Mexico City and of the fighting bull as a species," given that this animal exists exclusively in the context of bullfighting.

Amid an uncertain outlook, the venue's officials insist on their willingness to engage in "respectful and open" dialogue with the authorities and underscore their commitment to defending a tradition they consider part of Mexico's cultural heritage. They also reaffirm that they will continue to explore "institutional and legal avenues" to reverse the situation.

The message concludes with a call to bullfighting fans to unite in defense of the Fiesta : "The defense of bullfighting in Mexico is no longer limited to the ring; it is also fought in the courts, on the streets, and in the collective imagination of those who refuse to see a tradition die."