Gallos (Cocks) Exhibition in Rincon, PR

This past Saturday, we passed by a very local establishment that is a favorite with the locals for sitting with a beer and talking with your friends and catching up on local gossip. On Saturday, they were having a very exciting event for Puerto Ricans who raise cocks and like cock fighting...the training of the gallos (cocks) for the upcoming season. In the photograph above, you see the gallos waiting for their turn in the small arena.

Here in Puerto Rico, Gallos Fighting or Cock Fighting is a revered and honored tradition. Cocks are raised and nurtured and trained for battle in the coliseum. Cock fighting means to be alive. Almost every town has its own Gallistico or arena for cock fighting.
We struck up a converation with this boy who proudly showed us his family's gallos. The white are believed to be the most beautiul and yet the more varied and darkly colored are thought to be more aggressive. To be good in the arena he told us, great plumage is important along with a strong heart and a "go after the other guy" attitude.

















This man is the time keeper and counter. In this training exhibition, he counts how many times each gallo strikes the other. In the other photograph, you will see what looks like a orange rubber anklet. This is to protect the cocks from each other during this training. In the coliseum, they have more combative gear.







Yes, this is two gallos in the arena. They were really, really fast! I took a lot of stills but as the gallos weren't still, they are difficult to see. In this one, you can see them with their heads together. As I watched I was reminded of the bullfights I had seen in Spain and the coliseum in Rome.

Fortunately, my camera has a movie feature, so I shot about 30 seconds of one of the combats. The combats last three minutes. You will hear the shouts and excitement from the crowd. This is a betting sport and we were told that high spirits and high bets prevail when the gallos meet in the coliseums or gallisticos.