On the occasion of the recent 25th anniversary of the death of the bullfighter Antonio Bienvenida, the University paid tribute to him in the framework the II Bullfighting Encounters. The emotional event was attended by the President of the University, José Mª Bastero; the daughter and brother of the late bullfighter, Paloma Megías and Ángel Luis Bienvenida; the matador Curro Vázquez; the film director Jaime de Armiñán and the president of the place of Las Ventas (Madrid), Juan Lamarca.

At the event, the President gave Paloma Megías a sculpture made in bronze and oak by the Navarrese artist Carlos Ciriza. On a plaque printed on the sculpture could be read the registration "II Encuentros Taurinos. Tribute to Antonio Bienvenida. University of Navarra. Pamplona March 6, 2001".

The tribute was moderated by the filmmaker Jaime de Armiñán, who narrated among many anecdotes the beginnings of his friendship with the Bienvenida family, a bond he said he was proud of, as well as the president of Las Ventas, Juan Lamarca. The latter wanted to highlight the figure of the bullfighter, "deeply rooted in the national fiesta. Antonio covered this fiesta with four decades of bullfighting and was above good and evil in terms of the existence of other figures, because he was a classic, and the classic is always current. In addition, he stood out for always being a faithful believer".

Lamarca also had words of praise for the Bienvenida family, "a whole dynasty of bullfighters, which began with Antonio's father, 'El Papa Negro', and blossomed into six sons dedicated to bullfighting. Wherever there is a Bienvenida, there will always be a great man and a bullfighter," he said.

In addition, President José Mª Bastero indicated that the tribute was given to Antonio Bienvenida "not only for his professional career, but also for his profound human condition".

For his part, the bullfighter Curro Vázquez explained to the numerous attendees that the honoree was for him "a teacher because my father instilled in me the admiration he felt for him, and that is why I learned a lot from Antonio".

The last intervention in the ceremony was that of an emotional Ángel Luis Bienvenida, who remembered his brother with intense affection: "He was very close to our father and was a man with the vanity and pride of bullfighters, but incredibly modest. I was very moved when he arrived at the infirmary with a goring and he reassured us all with an unheard of temper. He had an enormous quiet courage".

Antonio Bienvenida (Caracas, Venezuela, 1922) died in October 1975 as a result of fatal injuries caused by a heifer during a bullfight. It was all the result of a fateful accident: the bull ran over him from behind, knocked him over and caused irreparable damage to his cervical vertebrae.

More than 1,700 head of cattle bulls thrust in 800 bullfights give an idea of the importance of the figure of Antonio Bienvenida, whom many people still remember for his "tres pases cambiados" (three changed passes).