Women who have taken the alternative
1. Juanita Cruz (Spain)
- Alternativa: Fresnillo, Zacatecas (México), 17 de marzo de 1940,
- Padrino: Heriberto García
- Bull Ranch: Cerro Viejo
- Additional Information: The first woman to perform in Madrid’s Las Ventas bullring. She did not wear the traditional taleguilla (bullfighter's trousers) but instead designed her own falda de luces (skirt of lights).
2. Bertha Trujillo (Colombia)
- Alternativa: Comacalco, Tabasco (Mexico), 12 May 1968
- Padrino: José Ramón Tirado
- Witness: Marco Gómez
- Bull Ranch: Trincheras
3. Raquel Martínez (México).
- Alternativa: Tijuana, Baja California (Mexico), 20 September 1981
- Padrino: Rogelio Leduc
- Witness: Adrián Romero
- Bull Ranch: Trincheras
4. Maribel Atiénzar (Spain)
- Alternativa: Pachuca, Hidalgo (Mexico), 28 November 1981
- Padrino: Ernesto San Román
- Witness: Raquel Martínez
- Bull Ranch: José Garfias
- Additional Information: As a novice, she performed six times in Las Ventas and five in Seville, cutting ears in both arenas.
5. María Velásquez ‘Lola de España’ (Spain)
- Alternativa: La Victoria, Lima (Peru), 19 January 1986
- Padrino: Daniel Palomino
- Witness: César Caro
- Bull Ranch: Checayani
6. Cristina Sánchez (Spain)
- Alternativa: Nîmes (France), 25 May 1996
- Padrino: Curro Romero
- Witness: José Mª Manzanares
- Bull Ranch: Alcurrucén
- Additional Information: First woman to be carried out on shoulders at Las Ventas (as a novice), the first to take the alternativa in Europe, and the first to confirm her status in Madrid.
7. Mari Paz Vega (Spain)
- Alternativa: Cáceres, 29 September 1997
- Padrino: Cristina Sánchez
- Witness: Antonio Ferrera
- Bull Ranch: José Luis Marca
- Additional Information: First woman to earn her doctorate in Spain and the first to take the alternativa from another woman.
8. Raquel Sánchez (Spain)
- Alternativa: Toledo, 27 May 2005
- Padrino: Eugenio de Mora
- Witness: Manuel Amador
- Bull Ranch: Peralta
9. Marbella Romero (México)
- Alternativa: Morelia, Michoacán (Mexico), 15 December 2007
- Padrino: Rafael Ortega
- Witness: Isaac Chacón
- Bull Ranch: José Garfias
10. Hilda Tenorio (México)
- Alternativa: Plaza México, 28 February 2010
- Padrino: Manolo Mejía
- Witness: Ruiz Manuel
- Bull Ranch: Autrique
- Additional Information: First woman to take the alternativa at Plaza México.
11. Sandra Moscoso (España)
- Alternativa: Ubrique (Cádiz), 19 September 2010
- Padrino: Finito de Córdoba
- Witness: Juan José Padilla
- Bull Ranch: Osborne
12. Lupita López (México)
- Alternativa: Mexico City Plaza, 13 March 2011
- Padrino: Mari Paz Vega
- Witness: Hilda Tenorio
- Bull Ranch: La Punta
- Other information: First alternative in a 100% female terna
13. Milagros Sánchez (Perú)
- Alternativa: Moralzarzal (Madrid), 20 April 2013
- Padrino: Jesuli de Torrecera
- Witness: Esaú Fernández
- Bull Ranch: Buenavista
14. Karla de los Ángeles (México)
- Alternativa: Mexico Square, 28 December 2014
- Padrino: Hilda Tenorio
- Witness: Lupita López
- Bull Ranch: Guadiana
15. Paola San Román (México)
- Alternativa: Morelia, Michoacán (México), 16 de mayo de 2015
- Padrino: Edgar García ‘El Dandy’
- Witness: Javier Conde
- Bull Ranch: Carranco
16. Conchi Ríos (España)
- Alternativa: Cehegín (Murcia), 9 de junio de 2016
- Padrino: Manuel Díaz ‘El Cordobés’
- Witness: Antonio Puerta
- Bull Ranch: Guadalmena
- Other information: First woman to cut two ears on the same animal in the Las Ventas bullring, when she was still a novillera.
17. Melina Parra (México)
- Alternativa: Guano, Chimborazo (Ecuador), 18 December 2016
- Padrino: Sánchez Vara
- Witness: Álvaro Samper
- Bull Ranch: La Viña
18. Rocío Morelli (Colombia)
- Alternativa: Duitama, Boyacá (Colombia), 8 January 2017
- Padrino: José Luis Angelino’
- Witness: Andrés Ruiz
- Bull Ranch: El Manzanal
19. Rocío Romero (Spain)
- Alternativa: Pozoblanco, Cordoba (Spain), 23 September 2023
- Padrino: José María Manzanares hijo
- Witness: Andrés Roca Rey
- Bull Ranch: Daniel Ruiz
Upcoming bullfighting events
Consult the calendar of bullfights in Spain: Seville, Valencia, Madrid… more than 150 bullrings and bullfighting shows.
Latest news - you're interested!

Bullfighting Breeders’ Associations
21 January, 2026
The history of every ganadería de bravo (fighting bull breeding ranch) begins with the association …

The Main Bloodlines of the Modern Fighting Bull
21 January, 2026
The modern fighting bull is the result of a series of selective breeding processes in which the Vis…

All the Types and Uses of Handkerchiefs in a Bullring
20 January, 2026
Handkerchiefs in the bullring: colors, meaning and uses of the president

Illescas: Quality as Its Reason for Being
19 January, 2026
Once again, Illescas presents an unmissable offer at the start of the season. A top-class rejones e…

Valdemorillo: The Action Is Here!
13 January, 2026
Valdemorillo opens the 2026 bullfighting season The cold of winter is still in our bones, yet in th…

Brihuega: Spring Arrives Early
16 December, 2025
Although we are still in the middle of December, in Brihuega — alongside the festive atmosphere of …
Visited 366 times, 1 visit(s) today
Last modified: 6 March, 2025












