A Spanish tradition is alive once again in Starr County.

After nearly two years since it closed, the Santa Maria Bullring reopened its doors to the public on Sunday.

Located on Ranch Road 1017 in San Isidro, the arena reopened after changing ownership, and was remodeled.

The Santa Maria Bullring was built in 2000 by Matador Frank Renk, who’s spoken with Channel 5 News’ Rick Diaz over the years. 

The ring has been closed since Renk fell ill in 2023. 

“People were asking when we were going to reopen it," new owner Miguel Nuñez said. “We were getting so many calls from people wanting to buy tickets."

Nuñez is no stranger to the ring. He supplied the bulls here for 20 years. 

When the shows stopped, Nuñez bought and remodeled the ring.

In this kind of bullfighting, the bull isn't killed. 

The bullfighters — or matadores – are highly trained. 

Still, every near miss leaves the crowd holding their breath. 

Watch the video above for the full story.