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Read Full BioOfficially regulated cockfighting has returned to the Mexican state of Chiapas following the publication of an official decree.
The Chiapas-based newspaper El Heraldo de Chiapas reported that the temporary measure will allow organizers in Chiapas to run authorized cockfighting events until June 30 this year.
Mexican Cockfighting Returns in Chiapas
The news was welcomed by Efraín Rábago, head of the Sistema Nacional de Criadores de Aves de Combate (National System of Fighting Bird Breeders; literal translation). The Sistema was founded in 1973 and claims to uphold the “legal rights” of Mexican “fighting bird breeders.”
Rábago said the decision would “benefit everyone – from breeders with one rooster to people with thousands of birds.”
The Sistema chief added that the body would continue to work for the entire cockfighting community.
The move marks an abrupt U-turn from the Chiapas authorities. The state suspended all cockfighting and horse racing events in January this year.
Critics claimed that the suspension had a substantial adverse economic impact on workers in the Chiapas cockfighting and horse racing industries.
The state has become at odds over its policy on cockfighting. Advocates claim that cockfighting should be given official cultural heritage status in Chiapas.
Other Mexican states—including Zacatecas, Aguascalientes, Tlaxcala, Nayarit, and Hidalgo—have previously granted the controversial sport such a designation.
However, animal rights activists say that cockfighting contravenes the spirit of animal welfare clauses in laws such as the Chiapas State’s Law for the Protection of Wildlife.
The law seeks to protect both domesticated and wild animals in the state.
But Chiapas officials have claimed that the latest decision is designed to help prevent the rise of clandestine and unregulated events.
Federal Regulation Remains in Place
Cockfighting is still subject to federal-level regulation under the terms of Mexico’s Law on Gambling and Raffles.
Advocates say that many fights are held in secret, which puts the safety of animals and attendees at greater risk.
Chiapas officials said such events also promote unauthorized betting. The new decree states that cockfighting event organizers cannot access public funds.
The decree also notes “mandatory requirements” for organizers, who must obtain official permission to allow betting at cockfighting events.
Organizers must also ensure that veterinarians are present during all events. In the state, cockfights can only take place between noon and 11:00 p.m., with a maximum duration of eight hours per event.
Other Mexican states have moved to ban cockfighting in recent years. Sonora, Coahuila, and Mexico City outlawed the bloodsport in 2012. Veracruz followed with its own ban, which the Supreme Court upheld in 2018.
Last year, the Mexican arm of the Wiztech Group sealed a deal to host Push Gaming slots, with the studio targeting further expansion in the country.
