Topteen #1 - Alessandra Liu Cover

CONCHITA CINTRON
CONCHITA CINTRON
CONCHITA CINTRON
Conchita was one of the most famous female bullfighters whose grace
and style was unequelled - making her debut in 1938 at the age of 16.
“
Conchita Citron, the lady bullfighter, therefore is a very great rarity indeed. Her record stands as a rebuke
to every man of us who has ever maintained that a woman must lose something of her feminity if she seeks
to compete with men. Conchita competed. Nobody was ever more perfectly femine, and she triumphed absolutely
in the most flamboyantly masculine of all professions.
- Orsen Wells
From his introduction of ‘Memoires of a Bullfighter’ by Conchita Cintron
conchita Citron was born
in 1922 in Antofagasta, in
northern Chile, and at the
age of three, she and her
family then moved to Lima, Peru,
where she grew up, learning to ride,
and began her career as a bullfighter.
She first fought in public in the Plaza
de Acho, in Lima, in January 1936.
On July 31, 1938 she made her debut
as a novillera, also in Lima. This event
established her as a professional rejoneadora,
a bullfighter riding a horse,
a rare (but not unprecedented) honor
- Elsa Cárdenas & Elvis Presely
meeting in the cantina - Sharing
a special moment & sparking
their romance.
1963 - Fun in Acapulco
Photo : Everett Collection
for a woman. After a trip to Portugal, she was
invited to perform in Mexico. She made her
Mexico City debut at the Plaza del Toreo on
August 20, 1938. She failed to kill her bull, but
nevertheless was a great hit with the crowd
and the critics. She was reported to have
“caused pandemonium in the stands”.
In those days it was not lawful for a woman
to bullfight on foot, so she remained on
horseback, but was able to find ways around
the laws. Performing on foot at charity events
not open to the public.
The most dramatic moment of her career
was in Spain, 1949, when she defied the
FUN
IN
I’m kind of an Elvis fan.
“
ACAPULCO
I didn’t think I was, but as I get older, I find myself
looking back at the entertainers of the past
and how they influenced life, music and cinema.
I was randomly browsing Elvis movies on
Prime and YouTube to see what was available
and I came across “Fun in Acapulco” originally
released in 1963. I was instantly smitten with
Elsa Cárdenas, who played the Lady Bullfighter,
Delores Gomez. Her strength and courage were
juxtaposed with her beauty and femininity. One
of Elvis’ songs in the film is “The Bullfighter Was
a Lady” and it tells the tale of bull who is in love
with the beauty of the bullfighter, who coincidently
is a lady. I was smitten by the whole idea
right from the moment I saw Elsa and heard the
song. I was moved and inspired to write my own
story based on what I felt. I want to share that
here, and I hope you too will fall in love with the
romanticism of the past.
I want the main focus to be on the life of a
young girl, who at the age of 16, was so incredibly
brave and started a journey that left a shining
mark that can be an inspiration for all teens to
take the courage to step into their own ring and
follow their dreams.
command of the Presidente and dismounted
for the final act. (There are three acts in
a bullfight - the Entrance, the act of the
Banderillas, and finally, the Muleta) She let
the bull live and left the arena, being arrested
on her way out. Succumbing to the heartfelt
protests of the crowd, the regional governor
pardoned her.
Conchita retired from the arena in 1950 and
married and having six children. She spent
her years as a dog breeder and writing; most
notably, "Memoirs of a Bullfighter." first published
in 1968. She passed away in 2009 at
the age of 86.
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