Many of the runners who take part in the running of the bulls today and a good part of the spectators who enjoy the main event of the Sanfermin fiestas “in situ” would think twice before taking part in it again if, as in the past, the course were delimited by simple blankets or boards used to close off the street corners. Fortunately, since 1776 things have not been like that, since it was precisely on this date when a wooden fence was introduced to help the runners and protect the spectators. The Aldaz Brothers’ carpentry shop in Puente La Reina is currently in charge of keeping the fencing in perfect condition and of putting it up and taking it down during fiestas; a job that entails a great deal of responsibility and which is carried out daily with the utmost precision.
When in 1776 it was decided to introduce for the first time a fence to replace the blankets that were previously used to cover the runners, a necessary step was taken to ensure a minimum of protection for both the runner and for the dozens of people who were already attracted by this popular spectacle. In spite of its duty to watch over the safety of the citizens, until that date the City Council paid exclusively for the fences of the bullring and limited itself to imposing on the people of Pamplona the closing of doors and patios with boards or blankets in order to avoid any mishap. The spectators were armed with sticks and clubs to confront the bulls when they threatened to leave the course.
From the time this first fence was put up, the runners of the running of the bulls had a point of help to turn to in moments of imminent danger and the spectators had the possibility of watching the running of the bulls more closely without any danger whatsoever. Years later, in 1939, the City Council decided to place a second fence after an incident occurred at the alley section, when a bull charged against the fence and gored a woman.
METICULOUS WORK
The maintenance of this fencing has been a delicate task that first fell to the Azcona carpentry shop (from 1903 to 1976) and later to Pezonaga and España (from 1977 to 1991). Currently, the Aldaz Brothers’ carpentry shop in Puente La Reina is in charge of making sure that all the planks are in good condition and correctly positioned every time the running of the bulls begins. The fence, made of pine wood because of its resistance and resistance to rot, is made up of 2,044 horizontal planks, 388 posts, 40 gates, 200 palisades, 2,400 falcas (pieces of wood used as wedges) and some 10,000 screws that are assembled along a route of 846 meters. “It is a time-consuming task that has to be done very carefully so that each piece of fencing is correctly installed,” says Ignacio Aldaz.
At the end of May, the material is prepared and all the pieces are checked to ensure that everything is in perfect order. “During the year we store the boards in the basement of the bullring and at the end of May we take them out and check them to see if they need any kind of repair or renovation. It is normal for there to be planks or pieces that need to be fixed or replaced with new ones. Once the material is ready, at the beginning of June we start to put up the fencing parts that will remain in place even during the fiestas and will not disturb the day-to-day work”, explains Ignacio.
In Sanfermin, the pace of work is frenetic and the Aldaz carpentry workers do not stop until late at night. “On fiestas our work starts at 4 and 5 o’clock in the morning. We have 60 workers who are divided into groups along the different sections of the encierro and they place all the pieces that have been previously marked. As soon as the bull run is over, the work is unpacked and after checking the planks and posts, they are removed and stored until the following morning,” says Ignacio. But their work does not end there, since a few hours later they are also in charge of putting the bulls in the pens, taking them out to the bullring and when the bulls are moved from the gas corrals to the Santo Domingo corrals at dusk to run the following day’s encierro, it is the workers from the Aldaz Brothers’ carpentry shop who open and close the gates through which the bulls pass.
Thanks to their meticulous work, which this year will be their 10th anniversary, runners and spectators can enjoy this unique event that is the running of the bulls with greater peace of mind.
