The retired bullfighter and representative Curro Vázquez (Linares, 74 years old) has been awarded the National Bullfighting Prize, corresponding to the year 2025, at the proposal of the jury meeting today in Santander. It is the second edition of this award convened by the Senate, together with the Junta de Andalucía, Cantabria, Region of Murcia, Comunitat Valenciana, Government of Aragón, Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha, Junta de Extremadura, Comunidad de Madrid, Junta de Castilla y León, Autonomous City of Melilla and the Toro de Lidia Foundation, after the suppression of the one granted by the Ministry of Culture.
The jury has chosen the bullfighter from Jaen “for his performance at the festival held in the Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas on October 12, an event that transcended the merely artistic to become an event of cultural affirmation,” according to a statement from the Toro de Lidia Foundation.
Likewise, the jury has pointed out that Curro Vázquez’s participation in said event “not only provided the weight of experience and teaching, but also acted as a bridge between generations, bringing younger audiences a deep, classic and enduring conception of bullfighting.”
Furthermore, as reflected in the minutes of the meeting, the jury stated that “beyond this recent milestone, the figure of Curro Vázquez is defined by a lifetime of commitment to bullfighting. His constant dedication, both in the rings and outside of them, has contributed decisively to the preservation, defense and dissemination of this cultural heritage. His legacy is not limited to his professional career, but extends to his role as a reference, trainer and inspirer of new generations.”
‘The Madrid Work’
Curro Vázquez was born on May 1, 1952 in Linares, Jaén. He debuted with picadors in Vistalegre, Madrid, a plaza that was also the scene of his alternative on October 12, 1969 with José Fuentes as godfather in a head-to-head match in which he was seriously injured.
He is, according to the Toro de Lidia Foundation, one of the most outstanding bullfighters during his time in Las Ventas, where he has fought 82 times. Tasks such as Salvador Domecq’s bull in 1981, Victorino Martín’s in 1989 or the rainy task in 1994 with a morlaco from Alcurrucén remain in memory.
He was baptized by his followers as ‘El Curro de Madrid’. “A bullfighter who bases his bullfighting on purity, planted plants and breastfeeding while accompanying the attacks. He did not have an easy career, many ups and downs, potholes and overcomings, but the illusion has never left him and he has always dreamed of his perfect task,” highlighted the Foundation.
On October 12, he agreed to return, at 74 years old, for his friendship with ‘Antoñete’, for the reunion with the fundamental square in his career and for the involvement of Morante de la Puebla. He bullfighted a bull from Garcigrande. “This event was the icing on the cake of his career, a gift for all the fans that they will remember for their entire lives. He cut off two ears and left the Veneto arena on the shoulders of all the Madrid fans,” according to the Foundation.
The prize is worth 30,000 euros, the same amount as that corresponding to the National Culture Awards, and will be awarded on April 27 at 1:00 p.m. in the Senate. In the last edition, the award went to the filmmaker Albert Serra and the Royal Union of Bull Breeders of Lidia.