Cintrón, Conchita (1922–)

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Cintrón, Conchita (1922–)

Chilean bullfighter. Name variations: Conchita Cintron de Castelo Branco; Conchita Cintron Verrill. Born in Chile in 1922; dau. of a Puerto Rican father and an Irish-American mother (both US citizens); raised in Peru.

Began to slay bulls on horseback at age 12; in Mexico, made 1st appearance in the arena on foot at age 15 (1937); during career, was gored only twice while mastering over 1,200 bulls; in farewell appearance in Spain, where bullfighting by women on foot was banned, challenged the law by dismounting from her horse and executing a collection of perfect passes, then was arrested for refusing to kill the bull (1949); retired (1951), having opened the way for women bullfighters in other parts of the world.

See also autobiography Conchita Cintón: Memoirs of a Bullfighter (Holt, 1968) and Lola Verrill Cintron, Goddess of the Bullring (Bobbs-Merrill, 1960).