People's Bullfight

In the tidy little mountain capital of San Jose it was fiesta time. The coffee had been harvested, the price was good, and everybody had some money. Thousands of ticos (Costa Ricans) jammed the broad green of the capital's Plaza Gonzales Viquez for the annual four-day "Civic Festival."

Bullfights were the main course. Not traditional bullfights (these had long been forbidden in Costa Rica), but extemporaneous fights that pitted the rangy, long-horned bull against the people in, the ancient Iberian fashion--with the bull almost never getting hurt.

Last week, after giant firecrackers had been exploded and 40 selected bulls had been paraded through San Jose's main streets, the first of the corridas was held in the huge, hexagonal bull ring set up in the plaza. In the stands sat beauty queens from neighboring countries, one of whom would be chosen Miss Central America this week.

A thousand would-be toreros milled about, practicing footwork and capework (usual cape: a shirt). Finally the first bull appeared, took a look around and lit out after the aficionados. A few, emboldened by rum, turned to meet him. As soon as the bull had dealt with them, he went after another yelling group. Once he got too close, and a hard-pressed torero leaped into a pond convenient for just such an emergency.

The first day only one fighter was badly hurt, eight others injured. In four days' fighting last year, 144 ticos were hurt, including a woman named Chica Mena who could not resist the temptation to join in. This year's feature: night fighting, with black bulls.

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