Bullfighting Prohibition, a Controversial Decision: Tauromaquia Mexicana’s Arguments Analysis

Bullfighting prohibition has been a highly controversial topic in Mexico since 1967. The first attempt to ban these activities in this country was done in 1867, by former president Benito Juárez (Vázquez Mantecón, 2013). While there are still people who support bullfighting events, some authors agree that nowadays, even in the countries where these events take place, citizens mostly disapprove of these practices (Cordeiro Rodrigues & Achino, 2017; Flores Mercado, 2023; Perales & Thouverez, 2014). However, legislation in many countries has been going back and forth regarding the prohibition of this type of event. Just to mention two, according to Badorrey Martín (2009) the first ban was a canonical prohibition by a Pope in 1567, which had to be revoked after it was not complied with. As for the civil law, Badorrey Martín (2009) acknowledges the Spanish king Carlos III to be the first leader who tried to ban bullfighting in 1787. Using Toulmin’s argumentation model and Van Dijk’s manipulation theory, this article analyses the arguments given by Tauromaquia Mexicana A.C. in favor of bullfighting. The findings suggest that while the document titled Argumentos a favor de la tauromaquia (Arguments in favor of bullfighting) presents incomplete arguments, there is a clear tendency to manipulation in them.