Architectural Jewels of Maracay: Maestranza Cesar Giron

Greetings friends of this great community. I am so glad to be back with you talking a little about the architecture that I find every day walking through the streets of my city. The truth is that my country has a lot of European influence and that is why you can get buildings like the one I present to you today: La Maestranza Cesar Giron.

Because of the Spanish influence in our country, our city was considered the birthplace of bullfighting and that is why we have this beautiful building, designed by Carlos Raul Villanueva, with a rather eclectic style, but as a tribute to the Real Maestranza de Caballería de Sevilla. It has a Mudejar style that is typical of the Iberian Peninsula and reminiscent of Hispano-Muslim architecture, based on tiling, plasterwork and horseshoe arches.

Although this time, this building is being remodeled, I had the chance to enter and admire the intricate curves in its walls and arches and the beautiful writings painted on the ceiling or walls, a clear example of Moorish architecture, which is a variation of Islamic architecture.

This building has a circular shape, typical of bullrings, which allowed at the time a better visibility for all those who were going to see the show, has a capacity for approximately 7 thousand people. The interior is made up of 2 areas, the tendido which is what we know as the bleachers or the place where the spectators sit and the ruedo which is the area itself where the bullfights take place.

The facade of the Plaza de Toros is quite ornate and apart from the horseshoe-shaped arches, you can also get decorative tiles, an example of this is the chapel that is located inside the bullring which is dedicated to the Virgin of the Macarena.

In the surroundings of the maestranza you can get a complex of sculptures where the most significant is La Girondina and of which I heard its story from my dad since I was a child. It is a bronze statue, in homage to the bullfighter Cesar Giron starting his famous circular pass in front of a bull called Presumido who is wounded with 3 stakes. This pass made the bullfighter famous during the bullfights.

This monument is guarded by wrought iron railings made with the technique of bolts and clamps. These railings were first located in the Maracay Zoo and then were removed and later segmented and restructured to build the railings that protect this sculptural complex.

Currently, bullfighting is not allowed in Venezuela, something that I am particularly grateful for because I do not like this type of activities in which animals suffer, however, the building serves as a cultural recreational space for citizens. I remember that the last time I visited it was for a concert and the truth is that the place is ideal for its circular shape.

I am very grateful that you have been able to accompany me once again in this exciting adventure and I hope you have enjoyed this tour of the Maestranza César Girón in Maracay. See you in the next post.