Coso de Santa Margarita

Coso de Santa Margarita Plaza de Toros de Linares, 2nd category bullring, takes its name from the gardens facing the same. It was built in 1866 and opened a year later on 9 June, 1867, for the festivities in honour of the patron saint, the Virgen de Linarejos, with bulls by the breeders Miura and the Marqués de Saltillo.

The bullring seats 9,000 spectators. It is circular in shape with a 1.30 m high entry passage and has three floors: ring-side, stands and gallery reached by four staircases, one for each access gate to the enclosure. The facilities include stables, corrals, ten bullpens, caretaker's lodge, offices, changing rooms for bullfighters, ticket windows, infirmary and slaughterhouse.

It is full of history and legend, where there have been memorable afternoons with the best matadors and mounted bullfighters trying luck in their ring. But what remains etched in the collective memory of fans and the reason why the bullring of Linares is world famous, is the fatal goring of Manuel Rodríguez Sánchez “Manolete” on 28 August, 1947, by a bull named Islero. Near the bullfighter's entrance there is a ceramic and marble plaque commemorating that tragic afternoon at the Real Feria y Fiestas de San Agustín.

The Coso de Santa Margarita has hosted other great shows, concerts and events, some of the most memorable being the magical nights of film during the hot summers in Linares.

Other information

Anecdotes which make up part of the history of the Coso de Santa Margarita: On the unforgettable afternoon of 29 August, 1883, when bulls from Fuentecilla were being fought, the fifth one killed 14 horses in the first of the three stages, and was still at full strength when the next stage arrived and Lagartijo, the great bullfighter from Córdoba, made a masterful pass of the type which brings the fans to their feet. In 1886 it was decided to reduce the diameter of the bullring to 56 metres on the insistence of Rafael Guerra "Guerrita", the great bullfighter from Cordoba, as he refused to fight in Linares because of the dimensions of the ring. It previously measured 62 metres in diameter, meaning that the bulls were more powerful in Linares than in any other bullring and this great diameter gave the bull an advantage on the run and made it more difficult for the bullfighter to reach the safety barriers. On 23 July, 1890 there was another important bullfighting event, as a result of the approval of the project for electric street lighting in Linares, completed by Isaac Peral, who created and signed the project. The original program states that: “The bullfight will be presided over by the Authorities, and honoured by the presence famous naval officer, Isaac Peral”. This poster, with a dedication by the famous guitarist from Linares, Andrés Segovia, can be seen in the Taberna Lagartijo Museum. On the afternoon of 30 August, 1965 a record was set, when the bullfighters Antonio Ordoñez, Diego Puerta and Paco Camino, were awarded 10 ears and 5 tails.