Cayetano Ordóñez facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Cayetano Ordóñez
|
|
|---|---|
|
|
| Born |
Cayetano Ordóñez y Aguilera
January 4, 1904 |
| Died | October 30, 1961 (aged 57) |
| Nationality | Spanish |
Cayetano Ordóñez y Aguilera (born January 24, 1904, in Ronda, Spain – died October 30, 1961, in Madrid, Spain) was a very famous Spanish bullfighter. He is known as the main person who started the well-known Ordóñez family of bullfighters. His nickname was "Niño de la Palma" because his parents owned a shoe shop called La Palma.
Contents
Early Life and Bullfighting Career
Cayetano Ordóñez began his journey as a bullfighter quite early. In 1917, when he was just 13 years old, he started performing in the ranches near his home. This was how he learned the skills of bullfighting.
His official debut as a bullfighter happened in 1923 in Ronda. This was a very important moment for him. He became the first bullfighter ever to be carried out in triumph through the main gates of the Maestranza bullring in Ronda. This showed how popular and skilled he was. The next year, in 1924, he caused a similar excitement in Seville, another major city for bullfighting. After these successes, Cayetano Ordóñez was in high demand. He was asked to perform in many professional and amateur bullrings across Spain.
Connection to Ernest Hemingway
Cayetano Ordóñez was so famous that he even inspired a character in a book. The famous American writer Ernest Hemingway used Cayetano as the model for "Pedro Romero." This character is a talented young bullfighter in Hemingway's novel The Sun Also Rises.
Hemingway later said that everything about the bullfighting in the book was true. He also mentioned that everything outside the bullring was made up. Cayetano knew this and never complained about how he was shown in the story.
Later Life and Family Legacy
Cayetano Ordóñez had his last bullfight in 1942 in a place called Aranda de Duero. After his active career, he became the director of the Lisbon School of Bullfighting. He passed away in Madrid on October 30, 1961.
His family continued his legacy in bullfighting. Most of his sons also became bullfighters. His son, Antonio Ordóñez, became one of the most important bullfighters in Spain after the Spanish Civil War. Antonio was also the subject of another one of Hemingway's books, The Dangerous Summer. Today, Cayetano's great-grandsons, Francisco and Cayetano Rivera Ordóñez, are still famous matadors working in Spain.
See also
- In Spanish: Cayetano Ordóñez para niños
