Rafael Molina Sánchez
Encyclopedia
Rafael Molina Sánchez "Lagartijo", the son of "Niño de Dios", and nephew of "Poleo", was born in Cordoba
on November 27, 1841. He fought in his home town on September 8, 1851 when he was nine years old. On September 29, 1865, he became a full bullfighter (he took the alternativa) at Ubeda
. His sponsor (apoderao) was "Gordito"; "Lagartijo" killed "Carabuco", a bull from the ranch (ganadería) owned by the Marchioness of Ontiveros.
From that date until his retirement, he took part in 1632 bullfights (400 of them in Madrid
); he needed infirmary only once, and left it afterwards to continue his performance. He killed 4867 bulls in 29 consecutive seasons, and was active for forty-two taurine years. He was seriously gored seven times. He died on August 1, 1900 in Córdoba
.
One of "Lagartijo"'s most renowned fights took place on October 5, 1879 in Córdoba
, Spain
, against a bull name Murciélago
. In an exceptional display of courage and resilience, the bull survived 28 sword strikes. For this display, "Lagartijo" chose to spare Murciélago's life, a very rare honor. "Lagartijo" gave the bull as a gift to Don Antonio Miura, who mated the bull with 70 cows. Murciélago's line, now called the Miura line, still exists and is famous for producing fighting bulls of great ferocity and courage.
(TEN MASTERS by Bernardo V. Carande, Los Toros by Ed. Indice, page 117)
Córdoba, Spain
-History:The first trace of human presence in the area are remains of a Neanderthal Man, dating to c. 32,000 BC. In the 8th century BC, during the ancient Tartessos period, a pre-urban settlement existed. The population gradually learned copper and silver metallurgy...
on November 27, 1841. He fought in his home town on September 8, 1851 when he was nine years old. On September 29, 1865, he became a full bullfighter (he took the alternativa) at Ubeda
Úbeda
Úbeda is a town in the province of Jaén in Spain's autonomous community of Andalusia, with some 35,600 inhabitants. Both this city and the neighboring city of Baeza benefited from extensive patronage in the early 16th century resulting in the construction of a series of Renaissance style palaces...
. His sponsor (apoderao) was "Gordito"; "Lagartijo" killed "Carabuco", a bull from the ranch (ganadería) owned by the Marchioness of Ontiveros.
From that date until his retirement, he took part in 1632 bullfights (400 of them in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
); he needed infirmary only once, and left it afterwards to continue his performance. He killed 4867 bulls in 29 consecutive seasons, and was active for forty-two taurine years. He was seriously gored seven times. He died on August 1, 1900 in Córdoba
Córdoba, Spain
-History:The first trace of human presence in the area are remains of a Neanderthal Man, dating to c. 32,000 BC. In the 8th century BC, during the ancient Tartessos period, a pre-urban settlement existed. The population gradually learned copper and silver metallurgy...
.
One of "Lagartijo"'s most renowned fights took place on October 5, 1879 in Córdoba
Córdoba, Spain
-History:The first trace of human presence in the area are remains of a Neanderthal Man, dating to c. 32,000 BC. In the 8th century BC, during the ancient Tartessos period, a pre-urban settlement existed. The population gradually learned copper and silver metallurgy...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, against a bull name Murciélago
Murciélago
Murciélago was a Navarra fighting bull known for having survived 28 sword strokes in an October 5, 1879 fight against Rafael "El Lagartijo" Molina Sanchez, at the Coso de los califas bullring in Córdoba, Spain. Its name means bat in Spanish....
. In an exceptional display of courage and resilience, the bull survived 28 sword strikes. For this display, "Lagartijo" chose to spare Murciélago's life, a very rare honor. "Lagartijo" gave the bull as a gift to Don Antonio Miura, who mated the bull with 70 cows. Murciélago's line, now called the Miura line, still exists and is famous for producing fighting bulls of great ferocity and courage.
Quotes about him
- "He fought no more in Seville" (Seville, April 20, 1884)
- "One might say that he was born in the hollow of two applauding hands." (Pascual Millán.)
- "The best bullfighter of the 19th century was 'Lagartijo'." (Obituary notice in "El Toreo".)
(TEN MASTERS by Bernardo V. Carande, Los Toros by Ed. Indice, page 117)
External links
- http://www.portaltaurino.com/matadores/lagartijo.htm
- http://www.legadoandalusi.com/legado/contenido/rutas/personajes/8549.htm