Costa Rica's Wild West

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|| SportsShooter.com: News Item: Posted 2003-03-26

Costa Rica's Wild West
By Victor Maccharolli

Photo by Victor Maccharolli

The local guys try to get close enough to touch the bull and grab a moment of glory as the bull falls and the rider tries to escape unscathed.

(Editor's note:In the fall of 2002, 10 students spent five weeks in Costa Rica with Jim McNay as part of Brooks' series of international documentary classes. Following is one of the many stories they brought back home with them to Santa Barbara.)

There is an electricity of excitement in the air tonight - the packed bar erected in the middle of a field - the delicious smell of food being made right before my eyes - the sound of traditional music being played as people dance the night away - the deafening cheers coming from the packed stands of the bullring...we're at a Costa Rican rodeo.

The rodeo season runs from December to March and moves from town to town. Every fiesta is set up the same and centers around the bullring. These structures sometimes are a rough fence made out of wood planks put into a circle. In the bigger towns they are huge circular steel structures. A bar is erected in a field next to the bullring and always has a dance floor and place for a band or DJ to play.

The Costa Rican people definitely like to party and the rodeo is a great excuse to do so. People come from miles around, start drinking early and don't stop until the wee hours of morning. Their drink of choice is Imperial, the main beer of Costa Rica, or guaro a very potent local drink. Besides the bar there is always a heavenly aroma coming from the stands where locals are making some of the best food I have ever tasted, from steak on a stick to the freshest, sweetest tortillas ever. One can watch them grind the corn right off the cob.

Inside the ring there is only one event - bull riding. Local kids come early to ooh and aah at the bulls being herded into the corals. As the sun goes down the stands fill up. Spectators squeeze in to find a place to sit on the rickety circular fence that make up the ring. With the sound of the announcer's voice and the blowing of a trumpet the mounting tension is broken by the gate being flung open and the first rider of the night being mercilessly thrown around on the back of a huge Brahma bull. All the riders are local men trying to prove their toughness and manhood. They all ride bareback using one hand or usually no hands until they are thrown from the bucking bull.

Photo by Victor Maccharolli

Now comes the fun - some might say crazy part. Anyone who wants to can come into the ring and try to "fight" the bull. It is called Tico bullfighting and is nothing like traditional bullfighting. Whoever has the cajones or is drunk enough stands in the ring and tries to get as close as they can to the bull without getting hurt. It is a real accomplishment to touch the bull on the head.

After being prodded by a few locals I decide to get in the ring myself and get off a few shots. The adrenaline rush of a huge Brahma bull coming after me is so great that I forget about photography and head for the safety of the fence. There are only two ways out of the ring: either over or under the fence. As I jump for the top rail I feel firsthand the power of these magnificent creatures when the bull just brushes his head against my leg!

As one of ten students from Brooks Institute of Photography in Costa Rica on a five-week photography trip in hopes of telling the story of the people, I find myself drawn to the region of Guanacaste, the cattle ranching capitol of Costa Rica. Guanacaste is dry and instead of lush rainforest is spread out and covered by rolling hills of green of pastureland.

Here is where we found the Costa Rican cowboy or Sabanero. The Sabanero is a figure of strength and pride and is very deeply rooted in the culture of Guanacaste. They are some of the nicest and most generous people I met. With a cowboy's machete on his waist at all times, his impeccable posture, and his horse's amazing high-stepping walk that looks more like dancing, it is no wonder that these real life cowboys are at the center of attention during the fiestas. Whether in the streets or at a rodeo all it takes is a simple complement of their horse. The next thing I knew I am up on him taking a "test drive."

I do get back in the ring and shoot some good photos - eventually. The pictures of the Costa Rican rodeos and others from all over this beautiful and enchanting country can be seen on the groups' website at: www.costarica.brooks.edu.

Related Links:

Brooks Costa Rica Website

Victor Maccharoll's member page