Now let us enter fully into the inauguration of the bullring. The management, eager to satisfy the desires of the aficionados, presented a poster which, if not of the very first rank due to the haste of the occasion, nonetheless satisfied the thousands of spectators who witnessed the festivities. Litri and Machaquito were the men charged with dispatching the six bulls from Saltillo that inaugurated our circus on the 5th of the current month. For the 6th, the posters announced Bonarillo alongside the aforementioned swordsmen, with bulls from Villamarta to be fought.

No other occasion equal to it has been known since the time of the Centenary. The trains arrive crowded with travellers, making it difficult for the owners of hotels, inns, and eating houses to provide lodging for all those who, eager to witness the most popular of our festivals, have abandoned their homes.

The aspect presented by Huelva on the days of the bullfight is both picturesque and lively. The Vega-Larga promenade, where the Cinta fair is held, offers a striking sight. The most beautiful women of Huelva, and the strangers who flock from Seville, Córdoba, Málaga, and neighbouring towns to witness the festivities, display their charms through the streets and squares; the nougat and drink stalls are surrounded by a joyful throng; the bands cast their melodies into the air; a people full of jubilee wait with eagerness for the appointed hour to attend the bullfight.

It is not yet two o’clock and already the movement intensifies. Carriages, omnibuses, riders upon handsome horses harnessed in the Andalusian fashion, and a great surge of people on foot make their way toward our beautiful circus. Six choice bulls from the herd of the Marquis of Saltillo are to be fought. Our countryman Litri, together with Machaquito, comes to justify once more the reputation acquired in other rings by dint of constant displays of courage and skill.

The seating and tiers are filled; in the boxes, the very flower of Andalusia. The spectators, intoxicated with joy and awaiting the desired moment, bustle and stir as if moved by an electric current. Half-past four is the fixed hour; the bugles announce the arrival of the president, Mr. José Coto, Mayor of the capital, and the commencement of the feast. Paco Medel, mounted upon a spirited horse, requests the key. The troupes present themselves, being received with thunderous applause. The attendance is overflowing.

(Text translated from Sol y Sombra, published 25th September, 1902)