The Plaza de toros de Ronda the arena has a diameter of 66 metres (217 ft), surrounded by a passage formed by two rings of stone. There are two layers of seating, each with five raised rows and 136 pillars that make up 68 arches. The Royal Box has a sloping roof covered in Arabic tiles. Construction of the bullring started in 1779 and finished in 1785. It stands on the west edge of Ronda, about two blocks from Puente Nuevo and the El Tajo canyon. The design is attributed to the architect Martín de Aldehuela. Soon after the ring's creation in the 18th century, the Romero family of Ronda emerged to provide over three generations of bullfighters. The most important of them was Pedro Romero (1754-1839), a key figure in the history of bullfighting who slew more than 5,600 bulls. The Romero and Ordóñez families were known for their great bullfights in the Plaza, and bronze statues of Cayetano Ordóñez and son Antonio Ordóñez stand outside one of the entrances to the bullring. Because of its rural location and the small size of the surrounding town of Ronda, this bullring does not host as many bullfights as other, larger venues: Seville for example. The bullring in Ronda is open to the public, charging a small admission fee. In 1994, US singer Madonna shot her music video, Take A Bow, in the bull fight arena, and planned to invite fans to take part as extras, but just before shooting, that plan was discarded. Madonna's co-star in the video was Spanish bullfighter Emilio Muñoz, who played her Latin lover who leaves her after spending a passionate night with the heartbroken blonde. In 2001, the bullring was the location of the final quiz and execution in the first season of the U.S. reality TV show The Mole, hosted by Anderson Cooper.
