Algo para agregar a tu conocimiento sobre Aguascalientes

This post was written by Edilia Ruiz, who is a student at the University of Washington from the Department of Communications and Spanish, and is interning with us during Spring Quarter.

So, you might have heard about the goring of José Tomás, the famous bullfighter of Spain, at the fair of Aguascalientes, México last Saturday since it’s all over the news. In this post, I will not be writing of the tragedy, but instead I will share a festive side of the State of Aguascalientes.

It all began in 1828 with a government’s vision that unfolded at a market, a loan of 8,000 pesos ($670.00 U.S dollars) from one merchant and of course lots of enthusiasm from the merchants in Aguascalientes.

Despite this being the first Feria de San Marcos, it gained lots of success that drew people from different states throughout México and abroad. The San Marcos Fair started as a simple country fair with livestock, and then modernized to also include new events such as cockfighting, bullfighting, the Queen of the Fair Pageant, and traditional Aguascalientes dress.

The San Marcos Fair which lasts thirty days provides an opportunity for growth and exposure of local, regional and national economies that come together and share the original vision. Every year, the state of Aguascalientes invites a Mexican state and a foreign country to share their culinary arts, fine arts, music and dance with the people. This year, Feria de San Marcos will be celebrating 180 years of festivities, making it the Number One national fair in México.