Sunday, November 07, 2010

"oldest in the Americas"

The Plaza de Toros de Acho is the premier bullring in Lima, Peru. Located beside the historical center of the Rímac District, the plaza is classified as a national historic monument. It is the oldest in the Americas and the second-oldest in the world after La Maestranza in Spain (not counting the Roman Empire-era Arles Amphitheatre in France). Of the 56 official bullrings in Peru, the Plaza de Acho ranks most prominently. It has a seating capacity of 17,000 and was constructed of adobe and wood, both traditional materials. In 1765, Agustín Hipólito de Landaburu sought permission to construct what he called "a fixed plaza for the corridas de toros" that would take place in Lima during the city's celebration of Carnival. The plaza would be constructed in the Rímac district on a site that had been used for several temporary bullrings since 1754. The site was called “el Hacho,” a Quechua word meaning “elevated place with view of the sea.” Construction on the plaza officially began on the 30th of January, 1766

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