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 News Around the Republic of Mexico | May 2008 
Group Files Complaint Over Razing of Bullring
 Angelica Martinez - San Diego Union-Tribune
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| | In late February, Tijuana's oldest bullring was a skeleton. Structural problems at the 1938 arena led to its demolition. (Earnie Grafton/Union-Tribune) | | |
Tijuana – Preservationists angered by the demolition of a 70-year-old bullring near downtown Tijuana expect an answer soon to their complaint against city officials, an answer they hope will save other historic buildings.
Marco Antonio Dominguez, president of a club for bullfighting fans, said the group filed the complaint because it “wants to hold those responsible accountable for what they have done.”
The bullring, which Empresa Taurina de Tijuana built as a wooden structure, opened in 1938 and was updated with a steel framework in 1957. In recent years, concerns had been raised about its safety and it was demolished in February 2007.
But Dominguez and others who considered it a landmark said the bullring could have been saved.
“Our history is being erased,” he said.
The complaint was filed last year with Tijuana's municipal attorney to seek sanctions against the city's former urban development director, David Navarro, who approved the ring's demolition. The complaint also cites Maricela Jacobo Hereida, the former director of Baja California's Cultural Institute. If sanctions are granted, those named in the complaint may be kept from holding future public office for up to five years.
Dominguez said a decision on the complaint is expected next month.
Calls to the municipal attorney's office and the city's urban management director's office were not returned.
Dominguez said he hopes the complaint will be used as a precedent and will remind public officials of the procedures that regulate the demolition or alteration of buildings that have cultural and historical value.
Cultural landmarks can be designated and protected under an existing Baja California state law. Designated buildings can't be changed or torn down, even if city officials approve such work, said Ricardo Fitch, an honorary member of the Cultural Preservation Commission of Tijuana.
The problem is many sites that are famous to Tijuana residents have not been designated as historical sites under that law. The now demolished bullring was not on the list.
Residents are fighting to preserve sites such as el Parque Teniente Guerrero, one of the city's few public parks, which at one time was being considered as a location for a bus terminal; Caesar's Hotel, an important tourist site on Avenida Revolucion where chef Caesar Cardini is said to have created the Caesar salad; and the Jai Alai building, which opened in 1947 for games and betting. The Jai Alai building, also on Revolucion, is now used as a venue for live shows.
The state law is often interpreted incorrectly, said Maria Eugenia Castillo, a historic preservationist. The law exists but there are no guidelines on how to apply it appropriately, she said.
A big part of the problem, said Sergio Vasquez Ruiz, a member of Tijuana's Historical Society, is that “the public officials who are in charge of knowing the law and preserving these landmarks don't know the law.”
After each election in Mexico, the new officeholders appoint new administrators to fill public posts, including those who monitor urban development and historical preservation.
Those who are in charge of protecting the city's landmarks are preoccupied by politics and the corruption that exists, Fitch said.
Historical preservationists have relied heavily on rallying residents and raising awareness about a site's value to keep it from being destroyed.
“That's been our best ally,” Fitch said.
Angelica Martinez: angelica.martinez(at)uniontrib.com |
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