The state government published Decree 171 this Friday, which constitutionally protects bullfighting and charrería as part of the cultural heritage of Aguascalientes.
The reform, published on April 25 in the Official State Gazette (POE), modifies various articles of the local Constitution, including articles 10, 20, 40, 70, and 70A, to guarantee the promotion, protection, and dissemination of traditions such as charrería and bullfighting.
Both expressions were recognized as “emblematic cultural traditions,” directly linked to the state’s identity and the San Marcos National Fair.
The POE, published this Friday afternoon, highlights in Article 70 that: “The state will ensure the conservation and continuity of animal species that are emblematic, representative, and that constitute symbols of the identity of Aguascalientes.”
It also states that these traditions will always be protected with respect for human rights and animal welfare.
The new paragraph of Article 70A specifies that the law must establish mechanisms to ensure its “cultural, environmental, and economic sustainability,” as well as the rights of those who participate in these activities.
The decree will take effect the day after its publication and comes at a time when Aguascalientes is seeking to consolidate its position as a bastion of bullfighting, in the face of legal and social challenges that have limited or prohibited bullfighting in other states.
In an interview with La Jornada, the legislator and founder of Morena in the state, Fernando Alférez Barbosa, stated that “Aguascalientes must be analyzed in the context of its cultural identity and through its traditions, which are rooted in centuries-old expressions. Whether we like it or not, Aguascalientes is a bullfighting entity.”
Source: jornada
