Drawings in Colour. The Royal Bullring of El Puerto de Santa María (Cadiz)

Abstract

At the end of 19th century, new bullrings were built to replace the previously ephemeral timber constructions. The demolition of the Puerta de Alcalá bullring in Madrid began in 1874. The new model imposed by the architects Lorenzo Álvarez Capra (Madrid, 1848—ibid. 1901) and Emilio Rodríguez Ayuso (Madrid, 1845—ibid. 1891) in the Neo-Mudejar style, would mark the trends for later buildings. This Neo-Mudejar style was imposed by Spain in the International Expositions in Paris (1867 and 1878) and in Barcelona (1888). The bullring of El Puerto de Santa María was built within the historical and technological context of cast iron and riveted steel structures. The appearance of two original coloured architectural drawings (elevation and section) belonging to the original project from 1878, as proposed by Mariano Carderera y Pozán, (architect and civil engineer) together with photographs of that period, proved essential for the reconstruction in 2015. In contrast to the tendencies in the 19th century, a new style called Proto-Modernism appeared in El Puerto. Through the analysis of photographic images of this period, and of old architectural drawings, and thanks to the execution of the project in 2014, a 3D model could be printed, and this element provided the backbone of the building reconstruction.