Las Ventas Bullring has been designed and built in the Neo Mudejar style. An architectural style claimed as a national style in the nineteenth century for being based on a traditionally Hispanic design. The Neo Mudejar is the most characteristic style of the bullrings in Spain. It was the predecessor of Las Ventas, the old Goya Bullring, and the first known example of neo-Mudejar style in our country. This work by Emilio Rodríguez Ayuso and Lorenzo Álvarez Capra marked a before and after in the architecture of Bullrings throughout Spain.

Las Ventas Bullring is supported by a metallic framework that also includes the laying. Harrows and broadsides are made of wood, and the covers are made of metal knives, metal belts, wrought iron and tile. The localities are distributed in ten stretches, divided into lay, tier and broadside.

Las Ventas Bullring has a capacity for 23,798 spectators. The size of the arena is 61.2 meters in diameter and the width of its alley is 2.2 meters.

Exterior and Plates

The façade of the Bullring is made of exposed brick with glazed ceramic decorations that represent the shields of all Spanish provinces. As a curiosity, we know that the coat of arms of Córdoba is represented on two occasions and that of the current set of Spanish provinces there are only Ceuta and Melilla, at the time of its construction they were only a Spanish protectorates.

Statues

On the outside of the Las Ventas Bullring, statues have been placed over the years in homage to different important bullfighters in the history of the Madrid bullring:

José Cubero Sánchez ‘El Yiyo‘, the last killer killed by cornadas in Spain (Colmenar viejo), Madrid

Fleming: many will be surprised to see Fleming guarding Las Ventas, but the truth is that bullfighters have much to thank the inventor of penicillin. Before their existence, the bullfighters not only had to deal with bulls, but also had to fight arduous battles against the infections produced after a cornada. Infected wounds represented twice as much risk to a bullfighter as the catch itself.

Luis Miguel Dominguín, a tribute to the bullfighter from Madrid who went up to 5 times through the Puerta Grande.

Antonio Bienvenida one of the favorite bullfighters of Madrid of his generation and the one who has bullfighted more at Las Ventas.

How is the Bullring divided?

This monumental arena has 4 floors: high, low, bleachers and broadsides.

We found in turn 10 sections or lines divided into 3 main zones:

• The shadow (1,2,9 and 10)
• The sun (4,5,6 and 7)
• Sun and shadow (3 and 8)

Las Ventas Doors and Patios

The Las Ventas Bullring has 18 external access doors. The most important and representative is the Puerta Grande, of which we speak in the section corridas. In the back of the Bullring we find the Patio de Arrastre y Patio de Cuadrillas.

Chapel and Infirmary

Las Ventas chapel is of Mexican Baroque style. It is guarded by the Virgin de la Paloma, and the Virgin Guadalupe, Patron of Mexico.

Las Ventas office has two operating rooms and two rooms for milder wounded and a doctor’s office. The infirmary is accessed from the arena by a passage located under line 4. It also has access from the chapel. The infirmary is without a doubt the coldest place in the Bullring but one of the most necessary. Here doctors, on occasion, cure or even save bullfighters lives.