Ronda

Town in the province of Málaga, southern Spain; population (1991 est) 33,700. It stands on the edge of a rocky plateau, and is divided in two by El Tajo (‘the cliff’), a 160 m/525 ft deep gorge. Industries include horse breeding, leather goods, and wine. The town has one of the oldest and largest bullrings in Spain.

Ronda was colonized by the Moors in 711, and they maintained control until the late 15th century. The town's location acted as a natural fortress, meaning that the town was one of the last to be occupied during the Christian Reconquista.

El Tajo is spanned by an 18th-century stone bridge, known as Ponte Nuevo (‘new bridge’), that once contained a prison. The gorge divides the medieval and the modern parts of the town.

Pedro Romero, a carpenter from Ronda, refined and codified the bullfight in the 18th century. He was famous for having killed over 5,000 bulls in his career.