The sunnyand therefore cheapside of the bull ring at Zitácuaro overflowed with boisterous aficionados. Noisiest of all was a group of hard-bitten charcoal makers from the Michoacán hills who had stoked up well with charanda (cane alcohol) and come to see the toreros kill six bulls. "Long live Michoacán and her sons of Pancho Villa!" they bellowed.
As the first notes of the bullfight music sounded, one of the fans hurled a stocking filled with flour toward the arena, hit a Mexican army lieutenant squarely in the face. A soldier who tried to arrest the culprit quickly became a target for...