The Nuevo Toreo de Tijuana canceled a bullfight scheduled for Sunday, July 5, after Tijuana’s mayor declared the event would not take place and a federal judge denied the venue’s bid for a court injunction. Venue owner Víctor Manuel Bowser Miret announced the cancellation on Friday, July 3, citing “prudence” and “institutional responsibility.” But the dispute is far from over: city officials say they are investigating whether a key signature on the permit Bowser Miret presented to the court was forged.
Baja California’s Long Fight Over Bullfighting Bans
Bullfighting in Baja California has been contested territory for years. In 2015, the state congress passed a reform to the Animal Protection Law that effectively banned bullfighting by prohibiting events involving animal suffering for entertainment. That law was challenged in federal courts almost immediately, and a series of amparos (constitutional injunctions) kept the legal status of bullfighting in limbo across the state.
Tijuana’s Plaza Monumental, once the world’s only oceanfront bullring, sat on the Playas de Tijuana coastline for decades before closing. The Nuevo Toreo de Tijuana, located in the Otay area, became the remaining venue where promoters attempted to stage events. Bowser Miret has been the central figure in those efforts, repeatedly seeking judicial protection to override local and state restrictions.
An amparo is a uniquely Mexican legal tool. It allows individuals or businesses to petition a federal judge for protection against government actions they argue violate their constitutional rights. In bullfighting cases, promoters have used amparos to argue that bans infringe on their economic freedom and cultural rights. Courts have sometimes granted temporary suspensions that allow events to proceed while the broader legal question is litigated.
This time, the strategy failed. On July 2, Seventeenth District Judge Alexis Manríquez Castro denied Bowser Miret’s request for a definitive suspension. The judge’s decision rested in part on the permit Bowser Miret submitted as evidence: a document dated May 29, purportedly issued by the Tijuana city government. The municipality told the court it did not recognize the permit as valid.
City Officials Allege Signature Was Forged on May 29 Permit
The permit at the center of the dispute reportedly carried the signature of Arnulfo Guerrero León, who served as Tijuana’s Municipal Government Secretary (Secretario General de Gobierno) at the time the document was dated. City officials said they are now examining whether that signature was forged.
If prosecutors determine the signature is fraudulent, the case could escalate from an administrative permit dispute to a criminal forgery investigation. Under Mexico’s federal penal code, presenting a forged document to a federal court constitutes a serious offense. Bowser Miret’s team has pushed back, stating that the venue’s administrative file “is properly integrated with documentation issued by the competent authorities” and that the file remains available for review.
Mayor Abdiel Gutiérrez Coronado held a press conference on July 2, the day before the cancellation, and stated flatly: “This bullfight is not going to take place.” On July 3, Municipal Government Secretary Ramón Vázquez Valadez followed up by ordering Adriana Barrera Hernández, the city’s Director of Municipal Inspection and Verification, to use her authority to suspend, fine, or shut down the unpermitted event.
The sequence of events suggests the city deployed every administrative tool available. The mayor made the political declaration. The government secretary issued the formal order. And the federal court denied the legal lifeline. Faced with all three, Bowser Miret chose to stand down, at least for now.
Ticket Holders Should Contact the Venue for Refunds
Anyone who purchased tickets for the July 5 event should seek a refund directly from the Nuevo Toreo de Tijuana. The venue’s cancellation announcement did not specify a refund process, but the event is definitively off. No rescheduled date has been announced.
The cancellation also carries implications beyond this single event. If Tijuana’s investigation confirms forgery, future amparo petitions by the venue could face heightened judicial skepticism. The city’s willingness to publicly challenge the permit’s authenticity, and to name the specific official whose signature is in question, marks an aggressive posture that could deter other promoters from attempting similar strategies in Baja California.
Bullfighting remains legal in several Mexican states, including Aguascalientes, Zacatecas, and parts of Jalisco, where major ferias still draw large crowds. But the trend in northern border states has moved toward restriction. Sonora banned bullfighting in 2013. Coahuila followed in 2015, the same year Baja California passed its reform.
The Nuevo Toreo de Tijuana said it remains willing to cooperate with authorities and provide any documentation needed. The next concrete development will likely come from Tijuana’s municipal government, which has not set a public timeline for completing its forgery investigation. This story was first reported by Punto Norte.