A popular traditional bull-running festival in Mexico turned tragic over the weekend as two men were killed and 11 others suffered serious injuries during the annual Huamantlada festival in Huamantla, Tlaxcala.
The high-risk event, situated roughly 100 miles east of Mexico City, saw 21 fighting bulls released simultaneously into public streets, leading to severe gorings and chaotic stampedes. The fatalities mark the first deaths at the festival in eight years.
Casualties of the bull-running festival
The first fatality was confirmed as 29-year-old Juan Manuel Filomeno Herrera, a local resident of Huamantla.
Reports indicate that Herrera lost his balance and fell into the path of a half-ton bull, suffering fatal chest injuries and traumatic brain damage.
A second victim, 57-year-old Luis Xolocotzi Ramirez, succumbed to his injuries in a specialist hospital after being airlifted for emergency care.
Ramirez had suffered a skull fracture and severe thoracic goring wounds during Saturday’s run.
Among the survivors requiring medical care was 55-year-old José Andrés Hernández, who was repeatedly gored and knocked unconscious after climbing a safety fence into the path of an enraged animal.
Another female participant was thrown into the air by a bull, suffering severe facial lacerations before escaping to safety.
The history and risks of Huamantlada
Inaugurated in 1954 under the original name Pamplonada, the Huamantlada was directly modelled after Spain’s famed Running of the Bulls in Pamplona.
Over its 72-year history, the event has expanded significantly from releasing seven bulls in its inaugural year to deploying upwards of 25 bulls in modern iterations.
Safety experts and local media note that the Mexican festival often poses higher risks than its Spanish counterpart.
While Pamplona features a single, linear track where bulls run in one direction toward an arena, the Huamantlada releases multiple loose bulls in several directions across designated city blocks, making evasion significantly harder for spectators and participants.
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