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Rodolfo Gaona
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] BiographyGaona 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]  Personal lifeWhile 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
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