San Fermín 1999: The Last Fiesta of the 1990s
July 6 to 14, 1999. Eight encierros, no deaths, and the last San Fermín of the 1990s.
Curated by Dennis Clancey
· Founder of Encierro, veteran bull runner
8
Encierros
0
Deaths
Looking Back at 1999
Dennis Clancey · Founder, Encierro
Looking back at 1999, it was the last July of the 1990s, and El País gave its headline for July 9 to a single bull: the Cebada Gago animal Cepillero, which seriously gored a runner in the right thigh.
Looking back at the specific lineup, what stands out is the unusual closer. Gutiérrez Lorenzo, finishing out the decade on July 14, was neither Miura nor any of the most recognizable heavy-hitters. The closing run is the last day of the fiesta, the day with the most accumulated emotion, and a less familiar name in that slot gave 1999 a particular texture. When the last rocket of that July had fired, the calendar turned toward a new millennium and a new set of questions about what the encierro would become.
Dennis Clancey, Founder, Encierro
1999 in contextThe Last Encierros of the 1990s
Eight encierros ran from July 7 to July 14, 1999. Adolfo Martín made its Pamplona debut on July 10 and Guadalest its encierro debut on July 13, and Miura ran fifth, on July 11, in a clean run with no serious injuries, according to El País.
Morning by morningEvery 1999 Encierro, Day by Day
Each run with its ganadería. The route runs 848.6 meters from Santo Domingo to the ring.
Wed July 7 · First run
Marqués de Domecq
Marqués de Domecq bulls ran the first encierro of 1999, according to El País.
Thu July 8 · Second run
Guardiola Fantoni
El País reported a clean, fast run whose most intense moments came from a Guardiola bull left behind.
Fri July 9 · Third run
Cebada Gago
El País reported the Cebada Gago bull Cepillero spreading terror on the route; one runner was seriously gored in the right thigh.
Sat July 10 · Fourth run
Adolfo Martín
El País announced the Pamplona debut of the ganadero Adolfo Martín for July 10, 1999.
Sun July 11 · Fifth run
Miura
Miura ran the fifth encierro on Sunday, July 11. El País reported a clean run with no serious injuries.
Tue July 13 · Seventh run
Guadalest
El País reported a long, dangerous run on the debut of the Guadalest bulls; one of the five bulls gored a runner in the leg.
What the Record Remembers
History
The Last Encierros of the 1990s
The 1999 fiesta was the last of the 1990s. On July 14, the Gutiérrez Lorenzo bulls closed its eight encierros.
Ganadería
Guadalest at Pamplona
Guadalest made its encierro debut on July 13, 1999. El País reported a long, dangerous run in which one of its five bulls gored a runner in the leg.
Closer
Gutiérrez Lorenzo Ends the Century
The July 14 encierro is the last of the fiesta. In 1999 it fell to Gutiérrez Lorenzo, the ganadería of El Niño de la Capea, and El País reported a fast run in which the bulls bowled runners over.
Official Poster of 1999Official Poster: San Fermín 1999
Cartel 1999 by Juan Jesús Viscarret Garro.
Source: Ayuntamiento de Pamplona, cartel archive
Beyond the runThe City in 1999
The Pobre de Mí at midnight on July 14 brought the last San Fermín of the 1990s to its traditional close.
The recordHow 1999 Came Together
Key facts in the 1999 fiesta, kept on the record.
6 July 1999
The chupinazo fires at noon, opening the 1999 fiesta.
9 July 1999
Cebada Gago runs the third encierro; its bull Cepillero gores a runner in the thigh (El País).
11 July 1999
Miura runs the fifth encierro, a clean run with no serious injuries (El País).
14 July 1999
Gutiérrez Lorenzo closes the final encierro of 1999. The Pobre de Mí ceremony at midnight marks the end of San Fermín 1999.
San Fermín 1999, Answered
What stood out in the 1999 encierros?
Adolfo Martín made its Pamplona debut on July 10 and Guadalest its encierro debut on July 13. The Miura run of July 11 was clean, with no serious injuries, and no one died in 1999.
Which ganaderías ran in 1999 and in what order?
The ganaderías confirmed for 1999 are: Marqués de Domecq (Jul 7), Guardiola Fantoni (Jul 8), Cebada Gago (Jul 9), Adolfo Martín (Jul 10), Miura (Jul 11), Guadalest (Jul 13) and Gutiérrez Lorenzo (Jul 14). The sources we have found do not confirm the herd of July 12.
What happened in the Guadalest run?
Guadalest made its encierro debut on July 13, 1999, according to El País, in a long, dangerous run in which one of its five bulls gored a runner in the leg.
Did Miura gore anyone in 1999?
El País reported a clean Miura run on July 11, 1999, with no serious injuries. There was no unbroken streak, however: the Miura bull Hacinador gored a runner on July 7, 1996.
Sources
Every fact on this page is checked against these sources. Where sources disagreed, the one closest to the day won.
- El País, "Un herido muy grave y otro grave en el primer encierro", 1996-07-08. elpais.com
- El País, "El cabestro furioso", 1999-07-08. elpais.com
- El País, "Amor de toro", 1999-07-09. elpais.com
- El País, "'Cepillero' siembra el terror", 1999-07-10. elpais.com
- El País, "El ganadero Adolfo Martín debuta hoy en Pamplona", 1999-07-10. elpais.com
- El País, "Los miuras conducen un encierro limpio y sin heridos", 1999-07-12. elpais.com
- El País, "Un encierro largo, peligroso y con un herido grave", 1999-07-14. elpais.com
- El País, "La sensación de los relojes", 1999-07-15. elpais.com
- Público, "La víctima número 15 en la historia de los Sanfermines", 2009-07-10. publico.es
- Ayuntamiento de Pamplona, "Encierro (turismo, French version)". pamplona.es
- Ayuntamiento de Pamplona, "Carteles de San Fermin". pamplona.es
- Ayuntamiento de Pamplona, "Pamplona recordará a los 16 fallecidos en la historia del encierro con adoquines". pamplona.es
Planning your own run?
For 1998, the year Jandilla opened the fiesta, see the 1998 page. For 2000, see the 2000 page.