This year marks the 70th anniversary of the first bullfighting puppet competition held in 1954 and organised by Muebles Monteagudo. This competition predates the creation of the current San Roque clubs and is a unique event that sets our festivities apart. It was conceived by a person who, with his creativity and passion for tradition, gave life to the first bullfighting puppet competition in 1954. His innovative idea has transcended time, enriching our festive culture. Today, his memory lives on in every figure that is brought to the bullring and in every smile they bring. Let these words serve as a small and belated tribute to Vicente Monteagudo Freixa, for his invaluable contribution to the San Roque festivities and for inspiring several generations to keep the flame of innovation and tradition alive.
In the years before the competition, puppets were already brought to the bullring on the day of the heifers in a personal manner and for entertainment. This tradition, which is only preserved in our city, has its origins in the dominguillos, which were inflated and lead-weighted wineskins that were dressed and thrown at the bulls, functioning as bobbleheads in the face of the charges, causing great joy among the public. There are several engravings that reflect their use from the 17th century. This was a very common activity in ancient bullfighting and which lost presence with the institution of the modern rules of bullfighting, with some references to their use in bullfights being preserved until the mid-19th century. The use of puppets as entertainment can be seen in Goya's El Pelele, often as a criticism of the authorities. The origin of this activity is very remote, it was common among the Romans, who threw straw-filled puppets to the bulls, as they are named in an epigram from the book De los espectáculos, a work by a certain Marco Valerio Marcial, a poet from Bílbilis and Rome, and which closes a circle with origin and end in our city of more than 2000 years, leaving us a singular and unique heritage that we must proudly claim.
Muebles Monteagudo organized the contest at its own expense until 1971, when Interpeñas took charge of it. The first rules already state that the puppets must be made of materials that do not cause harm to the cattle, being pioneers in respect for the animal. Recovering the joint parade of all the groups with the puppets to the square has added greater visual appeal to the event and we hope it continues. The capea dolls are the first sign of the immediacy of the fiestas, with their exhibition being visited by a large number of people, causing smiles and surprise, especially among the children. It is also a tradition among the heifer public to obtain remains of the dolls as relics that some people keep for years and that culminates with the youthful invasion of the ring at the end of the heifers in search of the best remains.
We must maintain and even increase this tradition and for this we encourage everyone who has ever had an idea for a doll to be encouraged to build it and show their creativity.
With this idea of encouraging participation, the capea doll construction workshop has been held one more year. It is the fourth year that this activity has been carried out in which several people with a wide range of ages have participated, from children aged 8 to over 50 and who have shown their creativity. We hope that participation in the competition in the coming years will be multitudinous and that it will not be extraordinary to exceed twenty participants.
