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Rafael Guerra Bejarano (Professionally known as Guerrita , a diminutive nickname of his surname) (January 1862 – 6 February 1941) was born in
Cordoba. He was a professional Spanish
bullfighter
A bullfighter (or matador) is a performer in the activity of bullfighting. ''Torero'' () or ''toureiro'' (), both from Latin ''taurarius'', are the Spanish and Portuguese words for bullfighter and describe all the performers in the activity ...
who achieved fame during the 1890s. His uncle, José "El Pepote", also a professional bullfighter, was killed in Madrid by a bull called Jocinero, on March 6, 1862. In 1878 he started a long apprenticeship as ''banderillero'' (banderilla-man) and second swordsman. He became a full bullfighter on September 29, 1887, in
Madrid
Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the Largest cities of the Europ ...
. His sponsor (apoderado) was the bullfighter "Lagartijo"
Rafael Molina). On that occasion "Guerrita" said "I trust rather the benevolence of the public than my own merits and will try to fulfil my task by doing my best".
A Spanish hand fan commemorating the 1887 event—Rafael Guerra's "alternativa"—survives in the collection of the
Staten Island Historical Society Staten Island Historical Society is an organization devoted to the history of Staten Island and its neighboring communities, from the colonial period to the present day. The Society operates and interpreting Historic Richmond Town, the largest and ...
at
Historic Richmond Town
Historic Richmond Town is an authentic town and farm museum complex in the neighborhood of Richmondtown, Staten Island, in New York City. It is located near the geographical center of the island, at the junction of Richmond Road and Arthur Kill R ...
in
New York. It features a depiction of "Guerrita" receiving the sword of "Lagartijo". This ceremony marked the elevation of Rafael Guerra Bejarano from an apprentice to a professional matador.
He is also known for having killed nine bulls in three separate cities on the same day. On May 19, 1895, at six o'clock in the morning, he got dressed (he wore a gold and green costume that he would not take off until nightfall) to kill three of Saltillo's bulls at 7 a.m. in
San Fernando
San Fernando may refer to:
People
*Ferdinand III of Castile (c. 1200–1252), called ''San Fernando'' (Spanish) or ''Saint Ferdinand'', King of Castile, León, and Galicia
Places Argentina
*San Fernando de la Buena Vista, city of Greater Buenos ...
. Guerrita then proceeded to nearby
Jerez de la Frontera
Jerez de la Frontera (), or simply Jerez (), is a Spanish city and Municipalities of Spain, municipality in the province of Cádiz in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, in southwestern Spain, located midway bet ...
and killed three bulls of the Cámara livestock at 10:30 a.m. At 5:30 p.m., on that same killed three more bulls in
Seville
Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula ...
from the Murube livestock.
From 1890 to 1899, the
Cordovan bullfighter was thought to be on top of his profession, sharing top billing with Lagartijo and Frascuelo. However, he surprisingly announced his retirement on October 15, 1899, in
Zaragoza
Zaragoza, also known in English as Saragossa,''Encyclopædia Britannica'"Zaragoza (conventional Saragossa)" is the capital city of the Zaragoza Province and of the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain. It lies by the Ebro river and its tributari ...
: "I quit bullfighting, but not of my own accord, I'm jinxed.". During his career, Guerrita took part in 891 bullfights, killed 2547 bulls and never had the three warnings, a 15-minute limit in which the matador must kill the bull.
Quotes about him
:(''TEN MASTERS by Bernardo V. Carande, Los Toros by Ed. Indice, page 117'')
Notes
External links
*http://www.portaltaurino.com/matadores/guerrita.htm
*http://www.legadoandalusi.com/legado/contenido/rutas/personajes/10208.htm
Portrayal of Rafael Guerra's alternativa, from the Staten Island Historical Society Online Collections Database
1862 births
1941 deaths
Sportspeople from Córdoba, Spain
Spanish bullfighters
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