Maripaz Vega (1997-2026) marginalised to the end

Pieter Hildering

Maripaz Vega in action (Image by Pieter Hildering)

In the summer of 2005, far removed from the masculine pomp and circumstance of the San Isidro Fair, Maripaz Vega Jiménez (El Palo, Málaga, 1974) finally performed at the Las Ventas bullring to confirm her alternativa. The ceremonial bull named ‘Cantinillo’ came from the Salamanca ranch of Javier Pérez Tabernero and was (according to the newspaper ABC) an "enormous mountain of meat weighing 650 kilos, full of bad intentions". Although it was only the second time in the history of bullfighting that a female bullfighter had confirmed her doctorate in Madrid, only a handful of spectators (mostly foreigners, who, on a bus tour of the capital, had been taken to a bullfight out of curiosity and were unaware of the historic occasion) filled the stands.

Maripaz had deserved this opportunity. For years, she struggled to convince her male colleagues of her good intentions, but she swam against the tide of bullfighting conservatism. In her home town of Málaga, she was kept out of the August fair year after year, and was forced to turn to Latin American bullrings to fulfill her ambition. Aside from that one occasion at Las Ventas, she was never asked to return to Madrid, and she still hasn't been invited to perform at the Maestranza in Sevilla. From the first time I saw her — at a night-time bullfight without picadors in La Malagueta, when she was carried out on shoulders after cutting three ears — I admired her tenacity and dedication in the face of her adversaries, both human and animal.

The story goes that this sole girl in a family of seven boys was given one chance to triumph in a bullfight. Just one! If she failed, she would have to abandon her dreams and return home to take care of the housework. She didn't fail and took her alternativa in 1997 in Cáceres, the first woman ever to take her alternativa in a Spanish bullring. On that special occasion, her padrina, Cristina Sánchez, told her that she was starting a complicated career, but that, given the beauty of the profession, it would be worth the effort and she shouldn't give up.

At the end of the 2025 season, the matador announced her retirement. She hadn't secured a contract in her home town for 14 years, but, when Málaga published its programme for the August 2026 Feria, the bullring, to her great surprise, granted her recognition after all. Maripaz was offered a contract for August 15, the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, one of the most important days in Spain and in a bullfighter's calendar.

But, instead of allowing her a grand finale, the cartel is a cynical confirmation of the way the bullfighting elite has treated her throughout her career. Next to her will stand the anonymous José Antonio Lavado, a local matador, who, after taking his alternativa in August 2023, has never participated in a taurine event since. The second name on the cartel is that of David Galán, son of Antonio José 'Mad Galán'. David has spent the last 10 years being part of the Costa del Sol's beautiful people, but has decided to make his comeback in the arena.

The line-up brought tears to my eyes. Maripaz Vega has been an integral part of the bullfighting world for over 30 years. And although those years were marked by exclusion and contempt (but also by triumph and glory), she never lost her convictions. I wish her the very best for the future.