Cockfighting is very much well and alive here in Nicaragua. And, yeah, the idea repulses me too, but I had to go!
Cost of entry was about $5. I'm guessing the venue housed about 250 spectators, mostly men in their forties and fifties.
The Nicaraguan cockfighting is all about gambling. It's a haphazard, informal gambling.
Pre-match, while the handlers are "warming up their chickens," spectators look for others in the crowd to place bets with. There didn't appear to be any middle man. I picked a chicken, and placed a bet of about $10 with a fellow located a couple of rows down. My chicken won.
I was curious if this stranger would pay up. (Nicaragua is after all the home of the social movement "We don't pay!")
He did. Without hesitation. And I saw absolutely no indication of any squabbling over wagers in the stands.
The cocks didn't fight to the death even though the raucous crowd was certainly urging it. Both chickens were chewed up pretty good at the end so I can't possibly see how they could live to fight another day.
The answer became clear when I noticed the juicy drumstick in the mouth of the person beside me.
All in all a fascinating peak into the culture of this interesting land.
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| Yes, the man in the orange shirt is attempting to breathe new life into his chicken (mouth-to-beak resuscitation?) Meanwhile, the opposition -- the fellow in the red hat -- doesn't look all that too concerned by the desperate measure. See more pictures here. |
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