Plaza de Toros

The Plaza de Toros in Tlaxcala is named in honor of Jorge Aguilar, El Ranchero (1927-1981). Aguilar was likely the most famous bull fighter in the history of Tlaxcala. The ring was officially renamed in 1981, upon Aguilar's death, after decades of being called La Tacita de Plata, literally, the Little Silver Cup.

The ring itself dates from the closing of the lower courtyard, a sort of ante-atrium, to the San Francisco Monastery just up the hill. Although it had housed a small cemetery too, the lot was taken over by the government of Tlaxcala in 1877.  An arena of some sort is mentioned in writing here by 1886. But the bullring we see today was renovated and rebuilt in the early 1940s. Seating areas were stabilized and some were covered with a roof held up by the arches we see today. It was reopened in 1945 and has been acclaimed as the most beautiful bullring in the Americas. It's also one of the last still in regular use. 

A symbol for the people of Tlaxcala, it's also incredibly discreet and almost hard to find. From the Avenida Independencia, it appears as a series of just so many more storefronts. But when not in use, it's partially visible from above in the main atrium of the Monastery and a few elevated points in the area. With a capacity for some 2,500 spectators, it's smaller than most similar venues, but people visit for the historic charm if not for the bull fights. 

The bullring is often visited along with the monastery and the upper points in this part of the Centro Histórico area. One can peek into the bullring from out front of the Regional Museum of Tlaxcala.The Outdoor Chapel is on the same plaza. The Plaza de Toros makes an essential stop on any more extensive stroll through the area, and it's one of the highlights of a visit to the center of Tlaxcala.