Francisco Montes Reina

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The introduction to this article provides insufficient context for those unfamiliar with the subject.
Please help improve the article with a good introductory style.

Francisco Montes Reina "Paquiro"

Francisco Montes Reina (January 13, 1804 - April 4, 1851), nicknamed Paquiro, was a famous matador who was born in Chiclana, Cádiz, Spain. He would have become a surgeon, but a certain marquis retracted his patronage, leaving Francisco's father in financial difficulties, hence the son became "Paquiro", since he was not satisfied just being a mason. Flinging himself headlong into bullfighting, he relied on courage until he found art. However, the main reason that Paquiro is one of the most famous names in bullfighting history, is that he was the first person to write rules for bullfights and lay down an order for fights. He also introduced the "Traje de Luz", the suit that the bullfighters wear to this day. There is a museum dedicated to him in his home town of Chiclana de la Frontera in Cádiz province. He finally occupied so great a position in bullfighting that around 1840 he was paid in Madrid 6,000 Spanish reals for killing five bulls. Two years later, he earned 2,000 per bull. Until 1848, when he retired, he was by far the most important bullfighter in Spain. He attempted to return to the ring after retirement, but was not the same as before. If the bull "Rumbón" on his last afternoon, on July 21, 1850, in Madrid, did not kill "Paquiro", he inflicted on him the most serious blow of his career. A shadow of himself, without ever again turning the flannel with his wrist, he died at forty-six years in his home town.