One night not long ago, the manager of a cantina called La Faena in the centro told me the place had been around for 40 years. But even the glasses look older than that. Many cantinas are decorated to reflect a passion for bullfighting but La Faena, at Calle Venustiano Carranza 49, is the bullfight cantina por excelencia.

There are mosaic tiles, clay molding and the coats of arms of various Mexican states in relief. It is huge and there are almost never any clients in evidence, which gives it a solemn, almost funereal air. So it's a good option to meet someone with whom you would prefer not to be seen, or fifty of your closest friends.

What is most fascinating about La Faena is a series of showcases, inside of which are an exhibition of bullfighters' costumes, which belonged to well known matadors (like Juan Belmonte and El Soldado) as well as long-forgotten novices. The suits are so decrepit they appear to me crumbling into dust before your eyes.