Mexico Supreme Court: Bullfighting no longer cultural heritage

22-06-2022

The bullfighting sector deals with another blow in a short time. Last week, a judge decided to indefinitely stop bullfighting in Mexico City. And now the Supreme Court of Mexico  has declared that bullfighting and cockfighting are not cultural heritage.

Cultural Heritage

In 2019, the state of Nayarit declared bullfighting to be cultural heritage. Cockfighting, races with horses and the jaripeo (a kind of rodeo) were also given this status. The Mexican civil organisation Cuenta Conmigo Tepic A.C. did not agree with this and subsequently took the case to court. Moreover, Supreme Court Minister Alberto Pérez Dayán submitted a project that includes the following:

“Any practice whereby animals (sentient beings) are mistreated, tortured and killed purely for the entertainment or amusement of human beings does not qualify for specialised and enhanced protection based on cultural rights. Such activities do not guarantee the rights and freedoms recognised by the legal system, but rather promote their destruction or violation.”

Majority

His project received four votes in favour and one against by the Supreme Court. The bottom line is that these practices cannot be a cultural expression because animals are mistreated and killed. In addition, the states may no longer grant cultural heritage status themselves, as it will become a task of the central government.

In addition to Nayarit, the states of Aguascalientes, Guanajuato, Hidalgo, Querétaro, Tlaxcala and Zacatecas have declared bullfighting a cultural heritage. The granting of cultural heritage status to bullfighting paved the way for the bullfighting sector to apply for municipal or state subsidies. Bullfighting is less and less lucrative, so entrepreneurs made eager use of this regulation.

CAS International finds this a very important step for the bulls. Not only does it provide less income for the bullfighting sector, but more importantly, it is an acknowledgement from the Mexican judiciary that bullfighting is animal abuse.

Good news from Mexico!

The Supreme Court of Justice determined that bullfighting and cockfighting cannot be considered Intangible Cultural Heritage in of the state of Nayarit.https://t.co/HzvnqzsqzX

— CAS International (@CAS_Int) June 16, 2022

Mexico City

This is not the only lawsuit against bullfighting. Last week, a judge in Mexico City suspended bullfighting indefinitely. This happened as a result of a complaint from a Mexican citizens’ association. This association claims that bullfighting violates the right to a healthy living environment. Finally, the courts will look into the matter. Until then, there will be no bullfights in the Mexican capital.

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