Silverio Pérez

Who was Silverio Pérez?

Silverio Pérez was a Mexican matador whose nickname was "The Pharaoh."

Pérez began his career in 1931, after his brother, Carmelo Pérez, had been killed by a bull during a bullfight in Spain.

Silverio Pérez developed an enticing, slow style in the ring that attracted fans in both Mexico and Spain. One of his most legendary bullfights occurred in Mexico City in 1943, when Pérez killed the bull Tanquito in what was considered the matador's supreme performance. The crowd's cheer of "Olé!" reverberated for blocks around the ring.

Pérez retired from the ring in 1953. In the 1960s, a song titled Silverio was written in his honor by Mexican singer Agustín Lara.

A statue of Pérez waving his cape at a bull stands on one of Mexico City's avenues.

Pérez died at his ranch in Pentecostes, east of Mexico City, of pneumonia.