Brought over from the Old World, the sport quickly took root and is popular in big cities and in the countryside. It has become highly sophisticated with specialized breeding techniques, feed formulas and a small industry to supply the paraphernalia of the game, from cages to the satin-lined cases for the lethal one-inch blades that are attached to the birds.
Some aficionados admit that they spend more to feed their roosters than they do their family. But there is an awful lot of money to be made from big purse tournaments, selling a successful breed and, most of all, gambling. The tournaments are divided into three kinds of meets: derbies, corridas or treguas. The derby is a round-robin contest where as many as 30 teams (called partidos) all fight against each other at least one time. There are two points awarded for a winning match and one for a draw. The winning team takes the prize money. The tie breaker is the accumulated time taken to win all the bouts. The lowest time wins. The treguas and corridas are contests between two partidos. The corridas are like the major leagues, with the most successful and best known ranches participating. The treguas are for the rookies; their partido may feature several owners from a particular town.
There's no anti-doping in cock fights. The players are allowed to give any substance or handle their birds any way they choose. But the fight officiating is strict. Judges are brought in from outside the region to ensure impartiality. The arena judge officiates the actual fight and declares a winner, if one chicken hasn't finished off the other within the time limit (from 15 minutes for some derbies, up to 30 for the treguas). Another judge checks weigh in, equipment and keeps an eye on the wagering.
The Chila Tournament begins at 3 p.m. on Fri. the 7th, with a special
derby offering a prize of a new Chevy Silverado pick-up. There are
fights every day starting at 5 p.m. through Sat. 15. 50 pesos cover,
restaurant and bar service available.