The Encierro
of 1977
July 6 to 14, 1977. Eight encierros at 8:00 AM, and on the second morning, the callejon claimed a seventeen-year-old.
Encierro.com · Historical Record
1
Encierro Death
8:00 AM
Run Time
1977
Year
Looking Back at 1977
Dennis Clancey · Founder, Encierro.com
Looking back at 1977, the week opened with Guardiola Soto bulls on July 7, and they ran normally despite a large number of runners, El País reported.
And then on the second morning, July 8, the Miura encierro produced a pile-up at the entrance to the callejon de la Plaza de Toros. José Joaquín Esparza Sarasíbar, seventeen years old, from the Chantrea neighborhood of Pamplona, was trapped in the crush. He died from asphyxia, not a horn wound, but no less fatal for that. He was the youngest encierro death of the decade.
Dennis Clancey, Founder · Encierro.com
In MemoriamJosé Joaquín Esparza Sarasibar
July 8, 1977. Chantrea, Pamplona. Seventeen years old.
José Joaquín Esparza Sarasibar was seventeen years old, from the Chantrea district of Pamplona. He died on July 8, 1977, during the Miura encierro of San Fermín.
A montón (a pile-up of runners) formed at the entrance to the callejon de la Plaza de Toros, the narrow passageway leading into the bullring. Esparza Sarasibar was trapped in the crush. He died from asfixia (asphyxiation) caused by the pressure of bodies in the confined space. The cause of death was not a direct horn wound.
He was seventeen years old, the youngest encierro death of the 1970s.
Historical ContextSan Fermín 1977
July 6 to 14, 1977.
Eight ganaderías ran, from Guardiola Soto on July 7 to Antonio Pérez and Pérez Angoso on July 14.
On Sunday, July 10, one of the Los Millares bulls took more than ten minutes to reach the corrals, El País reported.
The encierros ran at 8:00 AM. Miura bulls ran on July 8, the morning of the death.
The Eight RunsEncierros, July 7-14, 1977
El País reports of the week and the 1977 corrida cartel name the bulls of each day: Guardiola Soto, Miura, Pablo Romero, Los Millares (formerly Concha y Sierra), César Moreno, Osborne, Torrestrella, and on July 14 Antonio Pérez and Pérez Angoso, which replaced the rejected María Pallarés lot.
July 7, 1977 · First Run
Opening Encierro
Ganadería: Guardiola Soto
8:00 AM
The bulls of Guardiola Soto ran normally despite a large number of runners, El País reported.
July 8, 1977 · Second Run
Miura · Fatal Run
Miura (Confirmed)
Fatal Run
8:00 AM
A montón (pile-up of runners) formed at the entrance to the callejon de la Plaza de Toros. José Joaquín Esparza Sarasibar, 17 years old, from the Chantrea district of Pamplona, was crushed in the montón under runners and Miura bulls and died of asphyxia, El País reported.
July 9, 1977 · Third Run
Third Encierro
Ganadería: Pablo Romero
8:00 AM
Pablo Romero bulls were fought in the corrida that afternoon, El País reported.
July 10, 1977 · Fourth Run
Fourth Encierro
Ganadería: Los Millares
8:00 AM
Bulls of Los Millares, formerly Concha y Sierra, ran on Sunday, July 10. One of them took more than ten minutes to reach the corrals, El País reported.
July 11, 1977 · Fifth Run
Fifth Encierro
Ganadería: César Moreno
8:00 AM
César Moreno bulls from Navarra were fought in the sixth corrida that Monday afternoon, El País reported.
July 12, 1977 · Sixth Run
Sixth Encierro
Ganadería: Osborne
8:00 AM
The 1977 corrida cartel lists Osborne bulls for Tuesday, July 12.
July 13, 1977 · Seventh Run
Seventh Encierro
Ganadería: Torrestrella
8:00 AM
Torrestrella bulls were fought that afternoon, El País reported; the vets had rejected one of the lot.
July 14, 1977 · Eighth Run
Closing Encierro
Ganadería: Antonio Pérez and Pérez Angoso
8:00 AM
The rejected María Pallarés lot was replaced by bulls of Antonio Pérez and Pérez Angoso, El País reported.
Stories from 1977Two Mornings That Defined the Year
A slow Sunday morning and the fatal montón of July 8.
The Encierro
Ten Minutes to the Corrals
On Sunday, July 10, the bulls of Los Millares, formerly Concha y Sierra, ran the fourth encierro. One of them took more than ten minutes to reach the corrals, El País reported.
The Encierro
The Montón
A montón is a pile-up of runners, typically forming when the pace of the encierro breaks down in a narrow section of the route. On July 8, 1977, one formed at the entrance to the callejon de la Plaza de Toros, the narrow passageway leading from the street into the bullring. José Joaquín Esparza Sarasibar, 17, from Chantrea, was caught in the mass of bodies. He died of asphyxia. The cause was crushing, not a horn wound. He was seventeen years old.
Official: Cartel de San Fermín 1977
The 1977 poster was designed by Fco. González Salvatierra.
Artist: Fco. González Salvatierra
Year: 1977
The full archive of San Fermín cartels, including 1977, is available through the official city tourism site: pamplona.es/turismo/sanfermin/carteles.
Pamplona in 1977The City and the Fiestas
The encierros at 8:00 AM in July 1977.
The chupinazo opened the fiesta on July 6, 1977, and the Pobre de Mí closed it on the night of July 14.
The encierros ran at 8:00 AM. José Joaquín Esparza Sarasibar died on July 8, at seventeen, in a montón at the entrance to the callejon de la Plaza de Toros, on the Miura morning.
Resources and ArchivesFurther Reading on San Fermín 1977
Historical records, encierro archives, and press coverage from and about the 1977 fiestas.
pamplona.es
TimelineKey Moments of San Fermín 1977
July 6, 1977
Chupinazo. The 1977 fiesta opens.
July 8, 1977
Miura encierro. A montón forms at the entrance to the callejon de la Plaza de Toros. José Joaquín Esparza Sarasibar, 17, of Chantrea, Pamplona, is trapped in the crush. He dies of asphyxia.
July 14, 1977
Pobre de Mí. The final encierro runs in the morning. That night the farewell ceremony closes the 1977 San Fermín.
San Fermín 1977 FAQ
Who died in the 1977 San Fermín encierro?
José Joaquín Esparza Sarasibar, seventeen years old, from the Chantrea district of Pamplona. He died on July 8, 1977, during the Miura encierro. He was caught in a montón (pile-up of runners) at the entrance to the callejon de la Plaza de Toros and died of asphyxia, crushed by the pressure of bodies in the confined space. The cause of death was crushing, not a direct horn wound. He was the youngest encierro death of the 1970s.
What was the montón (pile-up) on July 8, 1977?
A montón is a pile-up of runners, typically forming when the flow of the encierro breaks down in a narrow section. On July 8, one formed at the entrance to the callejon de la Plaza de Toros, the narrow passageway leading from the street into the bullring. José Joaquín Esparza Sarasibar, 17, was trapped in that crush. He died of asphyxia.
Explore the ArchiveSan Fermín Through the Years
The encierro has run every July since the early modern period. Explore the years surrounding 1977 or browse the full historical archive.
On the recordSources
Every fact on this page is checked against these sources. Where sources disagreed, the one closest to the day won.
- El País, "Ocho detenidos en el riau-riau de los sanfermines", 1977-07-08. elpais.com
- El País, "Un joven muerto y más de treinta heridos en el encierro de ayer en Pamplona", 1977-07-09. elpais.com
- El País, "Dos muertos en la segunda jornada de los sanfermines (portada)", 1977-07-09. elpais.com
- Publico, "Victima numero 15 en la historia de los Sanfermines", 2009-07-10. publico.es
- El Encierro (magazine) via Dialnet, "Arquitecturas alrededor del encierro (Javier Torrens Alzu)", 2020-06. dialnet.unirioja.es
- Ayuntamiento de Pamplona, "Pamplona recordara a los 16 fallecidos en la historia del encierro con adoquines", 2023-12-27. pamplona.es
- Ayuntamiento de Pamplona, "Carteles de San Fermin (official poster archive)". pamplona.es
The 1977 Encierro on Film
Archival footage of the 1977 encierros.