He says that in Guadalajara, where he lives with his wife, he gets up at 3 a.m., drives to the Coslada district of Madrid and goes to work for a parcel delivery company at 5 a.m. He ends his day at 1 p.m. and today, half an hour later, he arrived on time for his appointment at EL PAÍS; As soon as the interview is over, he runs to the gym, eats a light lunch and two hours later the bullfighting training begins. He gets home around 9 p.m. and has just enough time to shower, eat dinner and go to bed.
And so day after day, and he has no complaint; On the contrary, he assures that he is lucky because he has a job that allows him to “live as a bullfighter” in Spain, although he still cannot make a living from bullfighting.
His name is Juan Pablo Correa Sánchez, he was born in September 1994 in the Colombian city of Medellín, he is a bullfighter and on posters he announces himself as Juan de Castilla, in homage to his parents, originally from the neighborhood in which he lived born. “And it is also a gesture of rebellion,” he explains, “because the first time I took part in a bullfight at the age of 14, I noticed angry faces among the participants when I said that I was born in Castile, which is true . “It was a difficult area where a lot of hitmen in the drug trade came from, but I come from a very good, humble and hard-working family that I am very proud of.”
Thanks to Botero, the bullfighter and his teacher lived in Seville for a year and seven months, “and I made sure to keep him updated on my progress in Spain.”
Juan de Castilla will be announced next May 19th at the San Isidro Fair on the poster for the Miura bullfight, a position he won on September 19th in Las Ventas against a complicated bull from the Sobral Ranch. The offer came to him when he had already committed to bullfighting in the French town of Vic Fezensac that same morning. Undoubtedly a difficult coincidence, but one that had to be accepted. “Under my circumstances, I can’t say no,” he says, “because of what a bullfight in Madrid could mean for my life.”
Juan de Castilla’s life was not easy. He made a name for himself in Colombia as a bullfighter, but in his opinion the triumphs were inconsequential. Together with his teacher, the bullfighter Fernando Arango, he thought about the possibility of leaving the country so that his career would not stall. “But we didn’t have the means to do it because my parents couldn’t pay for my trip and stay in Spain, which we had dreamed of,” he says.
Then Arango had an idea: to write a letter to the famous Colombian painter and sculptor Fernando Botero, who was a supporter of young artists. And the teacher answered them; He had never supported a bullfighter before, but decided to bet on Juan de Castilla and gave him a scholarship to fight for a year in Spain.
“In the end, Don Fernando paid for my teacher and me an apartment in the Sevillian town of Espartinas, food, transport, clothing, for a year and seven months, and we still had some money left to save.” “He was very generous to me,” adds the bullfighter, “and thanks to his support, I kept him updated on my progress in Spain.”
Juan de Castilla was only 17 years old when he crossed the Atlantic in 2012. Some time ago in his country he met Iván Fandiño, who promised him his help and invited him to join the CITAR (International Center for Bullfighting and Excellence). is located in Guadalajara, and the candidate traveled there after his time in Seville.
“I entered as a student and started working, and then I was more of a ‘Todero’ than a bullfighter; That means I’ve done everything: bricklayer, butler on a farm, waiter, poster sticker, field worker, hunting assistant…”
Until February 1, 2022, he was employed by the Sending company, specialized in urgent parcels and logistics, where Juan de Castilla manages delivery incidents in Madrid. He says he is very grateful to the businessman who gives him the opportunity to do bullfighting, visit tentaderos and allows him to enjoy his Christmas holidays when bullfighting festivals are celebrated in his country.
He took the alternative in his hometown in 2017 and has only taken part in around 30 bullfights since then, only seven of them in Spain.
“I was a ‘todero’ (I worked at everything) before I became a bullfighter, and I still don’t make a living from bullfighting, but I have blind faith.”
“There were years when I wasn’t even exposed to temptation,” says the bullfighter; “That’s why the beginning of 2024 is so exciting, last January I triumphed in Manizales, I fly to Peru on May 12 and I’m announced in France and in San Isidro. “I don’t have any more, but I feel very happy and happy.”
Juan de Castilla is aware that the bulls he has to fight are generally not the most suitable to show off, “but I would rather suffer with a crutch in my hand than sit comfortably at home on the sofa.” he says; “And that’s what I prepare for every day, so that I can meet these challenges with the greatest possible dignity.”
“Unfortunately, I still don’t live off the bull,” he adds, “and every time I dress up as a bullfighter, that drives me to do so out of conviction and empowered by great inner strength.” “I feel blessed because I “I can make a living from my work, but what I do is more difficult than getting tired in the arena with a crutch in my hand,” he concludes.
He is convinced that so far he has only been able to show a small part of his bullfighting concept: “I consider myself to be combative, courageous, always ready to not turn my back on complications and to enjoy it when I overcome them.” And he describes his career as “a career of constant struggle and sacrifice that was not explosive, but every step I climbed I did not descend.”
Questions. Have you ever thought about establishing yourself in the company and turning your back on the bulls?
Answer. “Never. Sometimes it is difficult for me to see that others do bullfights and I don’t, but the blind faith remains in me. It is true that I have moments of weakness, but I never give in the towel.
P. But the life he leads…
R. “I couldn’t keep up this life plan in five years. I sleep little and try a lot. Therefore, my goal is to be successful before this period. And I dedicate my life to this goal.”
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