Rodolfo Gaona

"El Califa de León" redirects here. For the taqueria, see Taquería El Califa de León.
In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Gaona and the second or maternal family name is Jiménez.
Rodolfo Gaona
Personal information
Birth nameRodolfo Gaona y Jiménez
Nicknames
  • El Indio Grande
  • La Califa de León
Born(1888-01-22)January 22, 1888
León, Guanajuato, Mexico
DiedMay 20, 1975(1975-05-20) (aged 87)
Mexico City, Mexico
Spouse(s)Carmen Ruiz Moragas (1917-1917)
Enriqueta Gómez Abascal (married 1925)
Sport
SportBullfighting
RankMatador
Bullfighting career
Début novillero1 April 1908
Puerta de Hierro, Madrid

Rodolfo Gaona y Jiménez (22 January 1888 – 20 May 1975), was a Mexican bullfighter who performed from 1905 until his retirement in 1925, primarily in Madrid.[1][2][3] Known as El Indio Grande (The Big Indian) and La Califa de León (The Caliph of León), Gaona was part of the Golden Age of bullfighting in Spain[3] alongside Juan Belmonte and Joselito.[4] He invented the gaonera and pase del centenario moves.[2][5]

Biography

Gaona was born in León, Guanajuato City, Mexico on 22 January 1888[1] to a Navarrese father and an Indigenous Mexican mother.[6][2][7] As a young man, Gaona was a tanner and practiced bullfighting with a group of friends at nearby ranches.[8] He joined Saturnino "Ojitos" Frutos' bullfighting group in 1904.[7][1][9][3] His first professional bullfighting appearance was at the Toreo de la Condesa on 1 October 1905[8] in Mexico City.[7]

In early 1908, he traveled to Spain with Ojitos, who arranged for him to debut at the Puerta de Hierro in Madrid on 1 April, followed by appearances at the main plaza in Tetuán de las Victorias and the Palacio Vistalegre.[3][1][9][7] In 1910, he first performed a move that would later be dubbed the gaonera, which included holding the capote behind himself and letting the bull pass through it.[8][10][11] At a celebration for the 100th anniversary of Mexico's independence from Spain in 1921, Gaona invented the pase del centenario, or centennial pass, a variation of the gaonera.[5][2]

Gaona's divorce from actress Carmen Ruiz Moragas, the mistress of King Alfonso XIII, attracted public ridicule, including allegations of being a cuckold or homosexual. This had a severe effect on his concentration in the ring, particularly when detractors threw things at him. He returned to Mexico in 1920 when bullfighting was again legalized.[2][12][11][6] Gaona retired on 12 April 1925 after a final performance at the Toreo de la Condesa, the same arena where he had made his maiden performance.[8][2]

Rodolfo Gaona by José Guadalupe Posada.

Personal life

While in Spain, Gaona briefly dated Paquita Escribano.[2][1] His 1917 marriage and subsequent divorce from Carmen Ruiz Moragas provoked increased discussion about divorce in Spain and inspired the film La malcasada.[12][2] In 1925, he married Enriqueta Gómez Abascal, a Spanish woman with whom he had three children.[13][1] Gaona died on 20 May 1975 in Mexico City.[6]

A street in Granada in the old bullfighters' neighborhood is named in his honor.[6]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Bentura Remacha, Benjamín (2004). Amores y desamores toreros: La vida sentimental en el mundo taurino [Bullfighting loves and heartbreaks: Sentimental life in the bullfighting world] (PDF) (in Spanish). Los Sabios del Toreo. pp. 119, 121, 125. Retrieved 2023-10-12.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Santos Flores, Alberto (August 2012). "Rodolfo Gaona Jiménez" (in Spanish). El Periòdico del Saltillo. Retrieved 2023-09-25.
  3. ^ a b c d Juan León (1970-08-11). "La terna ideal de la "Edad de Oro"" [The ideal lineup in the "Golden Age"]. El Ruedo (in Spanish). No. 1364. Retrieved 2023-09-25.
  4. ^ "El excelso arte de Rodolfo Gaona" [The excellent art of Rodolfo Gaona] (in Spanish). El Universal. 2005-06-28. Retrieved 2023-10-12.
  5. ^ a b Coello Ugalde, José Francisco (2017-10-29). "Rodolfo Gaona y el "pase del centenario"" [Rodolfo Gaona and the "centennial pass."] (in Spanish). Taurologia.com. Archived from the original on 2023-06-03. Retrieved 2023-09-25.
  6. ^ a b c d Delgado, Jose Luis (2017-09-18). "La amante de Alfonso XIII se casó en Granada" [Alfonso XIII's lover got married in Granada] (in Spanish). Granada Hoy. Retrieved 2023-09-25.
  7. ^ a b c d "El Indio Grande, Rodolfo Gaona. Califa de León" [The Great Indian, Rodolfo Gaona. Caliph of Leon] (in Spanish). Los Labios del Toreo. Retrieved 2023-10-12.
  8. ^ a b c d "Un Día Como Hoy Rodolfo Gaona Ejecutó Magistralmente La "Gaonera"" [On A Day Like Today Rodolfo Gaona Masterfully Executed The "Gaonera"] (in Spanish). suertematadortoros.com. 2021-02-15. Retrieved 2023-10-12.
  9. ^ a b Coello, Francisco (2017-10-25). "Historias: Saturnino Frutos "Ojitos"" [Stories: Saturnino "Ojitos" Frutos] (in Spanish). altoromexico.com. Retrieved 2023-09-25.
  10. ^ The dictionary definition of Gaonera at Wiktionary
  11. ^ a b "Alfonso XIII, mi padre" [Alfonso XIII, my father] (in Spanish). El Mundo. May 2002. Retrieved 2023-09-25.
  12. ^ a b González, David (2019-07-07). "Carmen Ruiz Moragas: la bella actriz republicana que enamoró a Alfonso XIII y le dio dos hijos bastardos" [Carmen Ruiz Moragas: the beautiful republican actress who fell in love with Alfonso XIII and gave him two bastard children] (in Spanish). El Cierre Digital. Retrieved 2023-09-25.
  13. ^ "Rodolfo Gaona se casa en Mejico" [Rodolfo Gaona marries in Mexico]. Mundo gráfico (in Spanish). 1925-02-25. p. 7.