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MEXICO
CITY - SPORT |
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Sport is probably
the city's biggest
obsession, and while football,
wrestling and bullfighting
are the three leading
lights, the sporting
calendar doesn't stop
there. In years gone by,
you could spend a
moderately interesting
evening watching frontón
(pelota, or jai alai)
right in the city centre
at the Frontón México on
the Plaza de la República.
With a players' strike now
extending to over five
years (and showing no
signs of being resolved)
some wonder whether the
sport will ever regain its
former following,
especially since it is a
pretty dull game (unless
you're betting) and was
already losing popularity
when play was suspended.
There's horse racing
, too, throughout the year
(afternoons: Tues, Thurs
& Sat & Sun) at
the Hipodromo de las
Americas: buses and
peseros heading west on
Reforma will take you
there - look for "Hipodromo".
More exciting horsey
action is involved in the charreadas
, or rodeos , put
on by amateur but highly
skilled aficionados most
weekends, primarily at the
Rancho del Charro ,
Constituyentes 500 (tel
5277-8706), close to the
third section of
Chapultepec Park: check
the press to find out
what's going on.
Football
Football ( fútbol
, or soccer) is
undoubtedly Mexico's
most popular sport. The
big games are held at
the 114,000-seat Estadio
Azteca, which hosted the
World Cup finals in 1970
and 1986, and is home to
América (Las Águilas,
or The Eagles), the
nation's most popular
and consistently
successful club side.
Elsewhere in the city,
the university side,
UNAM (Las Pumas), have a
strong following at the
Estadio Olímpico across
the road from the
university; and Cruz
Azul (known as Los
Cementero s for
their long-time
sponsorship by a cement
company) pack out
Estadio Azul right by
the city's main
bullring. There are two
other major teams,
Necaxa (Los Rayos), who
share the Estadio Azteca
with América, and
Atlante (Los Potros, the
Colts). There are
usually at least two games
every Sunday afternoon
from August to May -
check local papers for
fixture details - and
you can almost always
get a ticket
(US$2-10) at the gate.
The exceptions the big
games such as major
local derbies, and
"El Clásico",
when América host the
largest team from
outside Mexico City.
Estadio Azteca can be
reached by tren
ligero or Ruta #26
("Xochimilco")
colectivo, both from
Metro Tasqueña; Estadio
Olímpico is reached by
"Tlalpán" bus
from Metro Chilpancingo;
Estadio Azul is reached
on foot from Metro San
Antonio or from any bus
running along
Insurgentes Sur.
Wrestling
Though its popularity
has waned in recent
years, lucha libre
, or wrestling ,
remains one of Mexico's
most avidly followed
spectator sports. Over a
dozen venues in the
capital alone host
fights several nights a
week for a fanatical
public. Widely available
magazines, comics,
photonovels and films
recount the real and
imagined lives of the
rings' heroes and
villains, though the
once-nightly telecasts
are now a thing of the
past.
Mexican wrestling is
generally faster, with
more complex moves, and
more combatants in the
ring at any one time
than you would normally
see in an American or
British bout. This can
make the action hard to
follow for the
uninitiated. More
important even than the
moves is the maintenance
of stage personas, most
of whom, heroes or
villains, wear masks.
The rudos tend to
use brute force or
indulge in sneaky,
underhand tactics to
foil the opposition,
while the técnicos
use wit and guile to
compensate for lack of
brawn. This faux battle,
not at all unlike the
WWF on-screen antics,
requires a massive
suspension of disbelief
- crucial if you want to
join in the fun.
One of the most
bizarre features of
wrestling in recent
years has been the
emergence of wrestlers
as political figures -
typically still in
costume. Perhaps the
most famous of all, Superbarrio
("Superneighbourhood")
arose from the struggle
of Mexico City's tenant
associations for fair
rents and decent housing
after the 1985
earthquake. He has since
become part of
mainstream political
opposition, regularly
challenging government
officials to step into
the ring with him, and
acting as a sort of
unofficial cheerleader
at opposition rallies.
Other wrestlers have
espoused political
causes, such as Jalapa's
Superecologista Verde
("Green
Superecologist")
who campaigns on
environmental issues,
including the demanded
closure of Laguna Verde
nuclear power station.
The most famous
wrestler of all time,
however, was without
doubt El Santo
("the Saint").
Immortalized in more
than twenty movies, with
titles such as El
Santo vs the Vampire
Women , he would
fight, eat, drink and
play the romantic lead
without ever removing
his mask, and until
after his retirement, he
never revealed his
identity. His reputation
as a gentleman in and
out of the ring was
legendary, and his death
in 1984 widely mourned.
His funeral was
allegedly the
second-best attended in
Mexican history after
that of President Obregón.
Fights can be
seen, particularly on
Fridays, at the Arena
Coliseo , Peru 73
(Metro Allende) and the Arena
México , Río de la
Loza 94. Col Doctores
(Metro Balderas).
Bullfighting
Soccer and wrestling may
be more popular, but
there is no event more
quintessentially Mexican
than the bullfight
. Rooted in Spanish
machismo and imbued with
multiple layers of
symbolism and
interpretation, it
transcends a mere battle
of man against animal.
Many visitors arrive in
Mexico revolted by the
very idea of what may
appear to be a one-sided
slaughter of a noble
beast, and there are
certainly elements of
cruelty in the
proceedings. But spend
an hour watching on TV
and you may well find
yourself hooked; and if
nothing else, it is
worth attending a corrida
de toros to see this
integral part of the
Mexican experience. It
is a sport that
transcends class
barriers, something that
is evident every Sunday
afternoon during the
winter season when men
and women from all walks
of Mexican society file
into the stadium -
though some admittedly
end up in plush sombre
(shade) seats while the
masses occupy concrete sol
(sun) terraces.
During the bullfight
season (late Oct to
early April) here are
bullfights every Sunday
at 4pm at the giant
48,000-seat Plaza
Mexico, the largest
bullring in the world.
Each corrida lasts
around two hours and
involves six bulls, all
from one ranch, with
each of three matadors
taking two bulls.
Typically there will be
two Mexican matadors and
one from Spain, which
still produces the best
performers: Enrique
Ponce and Julian Lopez
(always referred to as
"El Juli") are
currently the two top
Spanish names, and if
you see them billed you
should definitely try to
get along.
Each fight is
divided into three suertes
(acts) or tercios
(thirds), each announced
by a trumpet blast.
During the first tercio,
several toreros
with large capes tire
the bull in preparation
for the picadores
who, from their mounts
atop heavily padded and
blindfolded horses,
attempt to force a lance
between the bull's
shoulder blades to
further weaken him. The toreros
then return for the
second tercio ,
in which one of their
number (and sometimes
the matador himself)
will try to stab six
metal-tipped spikes
(known as bandilleras
) into the bull in as
clean and elegant a
manner as possible.
Exhausted and
frustrated, but by no
means docile, the bull
is now considered ready
for the third and final
tercio, the suerte de
muleta . The matador
continues to tire the
bull while pulling off
as many graceful and
daring moves as
possible. By now the
crowd will have sensed
the bravery and finesse
of the matador and the
spirit of the bull he is
up against, and shouts
of "Olé!"
will reverberate around
the stadium with every
pass. Eventually the
matador with entice the
bull to challenge him
head on, standing there
with its hooves
together. As it charges
he will thrust his sword
between its shoulder
blades and, if it is
well executed, the bull
will crumple to the
sand. However barbaric
you might think it is,
no one likes to the see
the bull suffer and even
the finest performance
will garner the matador
little praise without a
clean kill.
Successful matadors
may be awarded one of
the bull's ears, rarely
two, and perhaps two or
three times a season the
tail as well. An
especially courageous
bull may be spared and
put out to stud, a cause
for much celebration,
although this is an
increasingly rare
spectacle. Many believe
the quality of fighting
bulls has declined of
late, and in recent
years the sport pages
have been full of
discussion on the
matter.
Elaborate posters
around town advertise upcoming
events , as do most
of the major newspapers.
Look out too for the
weekly coverage of the
scene in The News
during the season. Tickets
can be bought at the
gate and you can expect
to pay as little as
US$2.50 for general
admission to sunny
concrete benches far
from the action. Fifty
cents more and you'll
have the luxury of some
shade, and from there
prices rise rapidly the
closer you get to the
ring, often reaching
US$40 for a front row
seat: something in the primera
tenido (US$18-30) is
close enough for most
first timers. To get
there, pick up any bus
heading south on
Insurgentes and follow
the crowds, or walk ten
minutes east from Metro
San Antonio.
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