Conchita Cintrón

Conchita Cintrón was born in 1922 from a Puerto Rican father of Spanish ascent and a North American mother of Irish ascent. They soon moved to Lima, Perú. Little Conchita preferred to play with cardboard horses than with dolls. When she took the Communion and got a real one as present, she was the happiest of kids. She attended Ruy da Cámara's riding and bullfighting school, where she became rejoneadora (mounted bullfighter) and toreadora as well. Being a woman bullfighter was a sensation, and she became very popular. She was not the only one at the time. The Palmeño sisters, Juanita Cruz and Maria Cobian were other examples. Conchita and the last two made the documentary Mujeres que torean (1940). She participated in many riding contests, but that was not to be her destiny. Aged seventeen she took her art to Mexico, later toured the neighboring countries. In 1943 she made her only picture, Marvels of the Bull Ring (1943). She traveled to Portugal as well, and in 1945 to Spain, where she continued to achieve great success at one of the most representative events, the Feria de Sevilla, and would tour many other rings afterwards. She had her photograph taken with the famous toreros of the time like Antono Bienvenida and Manolete. Yet, in Portugal she was banned for a while, and in Franco's old-fashioned Spain she was not permitted to kill the bull, considered a men's prerogative, except for charity corridas, which she did. But her art prevailed and her fame continued to grow. In 1950 she retired, and one year later she married Francisco de Castelo Branco, nephew of her mentor. They would establish near Lisboa and had six children. In 1991 she introduced in Nimes another women bullfighter, Marie Sara. She would write a book on her bullfight career, with a prologue by Orson Welles. She died in 2009 at 86 years of age. She is considered one of the best woman matadoras.