Rafita Mirabal (born 1997) from the
Mexican state of
Aguascalientes
Aguascalientes, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Aguascalientes, is one of the 32 states which comprise the Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. At 22°N and with an average altitude of above sea level it is pre ...
["Rafita Mirabal, 9, is butted by a young bull during a fight, in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, Saturday, April 15, 2006."](_blank)
(published April 16, 2006; accessed November 24, 2006) is believed to be the world's youngest
bullfighter
A bullfighter or matador () is a performer in the activity of bullfighting. ''Torero'' () or ''toureiro'' (), both from Latin ''taurarius'', are the Spanish and Portuguese words for bullfighter, and describe all the performers in the activ ...
.
["Mexican boy takes bull by horns"](_blank)
by Duncan Kennedy, BBC (includes video) (accessed November 24, 2006) He was discovered in a bullfighting school in his home state and has performed at least 24 fights from 2005 to April 2006
["400-pound bulls don't scare this 9-year-old"](_blank)
Associated Press (includes video) (accessed November 24, 2006) and several more since then. He enters the arena with only a red cape and a
short sword
The English language terminology used in the classification of swords is imprecise and has varied widely over time. There is no historical dictionary for the universal names, classification, or terminology of swords; a sword was simply a single- ...
to protect himself. His fights differ from those by adult bullfighters. The bulls he fights are smaller (about 400
lb, 180
kg) and he does not kill them, which seems to have an inherent attraction for the audience.
Because he is not strong enough to drive a sword into a bull's heart, "he might just wound the animals, and then they (
animal rights activists
Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the biological kingdom Animalia (). With few exceptions, animals consume organic material, breathe oxygen, have myocytes and are able to move, can reproduce sexually, and grow from a ho ...
) would repeat the thing about (the sport) being a massacre," according to Jose San Martin, the boy's manager.
Trampled
During a fight in
San Miguel de Allende
San Miguel de Allende () is the principal city in the Municipalities of Mexico, municipality of San Miguel de Allende (municipality), San Miguel de Allende, located in the far eastern part of Guanajuato, Mexico. A part of the Bajío region, the t ...
on April 15, 2006
Mirabal was swept into the air and trampled by a vaquilla (horned cow). Older bullfighters distracted the animal to give Mirabal to the time to recover and get back in the fight.
See also
*
Michelito Lagravere, young Mexican bullfighter.
*
Jorge Elich, young Spanish lion tamer.
References
1997 births
Living people
Mexican bullfighters
Mexican children
Sportspeople from Aguascalientes
{{mexico-bullfighting-bio-stub