Here you are standing before Ronda’s Plaza de Toros which, despite its name, is not a square but the city’s historic bullring. This is one of Andalusia’s most iconic monuments, a place where tradition, architecture and history come together. As you step inside, you’re entering one of the birthplaces of modern bullfighting, closely tied to the rondeño style that emerged in the eighteenth century. Built between 1779 and 1785 by the architect José Martín de Aldehuela, who also designed the New Bridge, the arena stands out for its full stone construction and its impressive sixty-six-metre diameter, the largest in Spain. The seating rests on one hundred and thirty-six Tuscan columns supporting two levels of arcades, and here, unusually, every seat is covered. The bullring is also home to the Real Maestranza de Caballería de Ronda, the oldest equestrian order in the country, founded after the Reconquest and still active today. Its story includes two inaugurations: the first, in 1784, was cut short when part of the stands collapsed; the second, in 1785, became legendary thanks to the famous duel between Pedro Romero and Pepe Hillo. Pedro Romero, born in Ronda, is one of the great names of bullfighting, said to have fought more than five thousand bulls without suffering a serious injury and known for shaping modern bullfighting by emphasising the art of the matador on foot. Alongside him, the Ordóñez family formed a second legendary dynasty, still celebrated today through the statues around the arena. It was Antonio Ordóñez who created the Feria Goyesca, an annual bullfight where toreros wear costumes inspired by Goya’s paintings and which has become one of Ronda’s major cultural events. Today, the Plaza de Toros hosts only one bullfight a year during this feria, and for the rest of the year it serves as a museum showcasing two centuries of bullfighting history, with costumes, weapons and objects linked to the Romero and Ordóñez families as well as the heritage of the Real Maestranza.