Key Takeaways
- Spain is the cultural heartbeat of bullfighting, along with several Latin American countries.
- A team of six performs different roles during a bullfight before the matador delivers the final blow.
- A bull takes around 30 minutes to die after entering the bull ring, known in Spanish as a plaza de toros.
- Animal rights activists decry bullfighting as cruel and inhumane.
Hundreds of thousands of bulls die every year in bullfighting rings across the world.
Some cheer this ancient tradition, while others lament bullfighting’s cruelty and wonder how the practice still exists in the 21st century.
What cannot be doubted is bullfighting’s dramatic spectacle and its place in many countries’ histories. Many consider bullfighting an art form that’s lifted above the barbaric by its life-and-death basis and intricate customs and rules.
While bullfighting may not be for everyone, its continued existence makes it an enduring theater form for its supporters.
What Is the History and Origin of Bullfighting?
The basis of modern bullfighting springs from Spain. Indeed, la tauromaquia, the art of bullfighting, is much discussed in some quarters of Spain. However, humankind’s relationship with bulls, or los toros in Spanish, goes back to ancient times.
Bullfighting’s early roots are in Mesopotamia, the Mediterranean region of Greece, and the Roman Empire. As part of religious or sporting ceremonies, people fought the animals, which symbolized strength and resilience.
The Roman Empire’s expansion through Europe and into the Iberian Peninsula brought the custom to what is modern-day Spain, Portugal, Italy, and France. Some think fighting with bulls may also have come to Spain via conquering Moors from Africa.
Different regions developed their own bullfighting etiquette and rules during the Middle Ages, transforming bullfighting into an art form. These rules are the basis of today’s bullfighting norms, with Spain renowned as the bullfighting capital of the world.
What Are the Key Elements of a Traditional Bullfight?
First, we must consider who takes part in a bullfight. A show usually has six bullfights divided between three bullfighters, who each have to kill two bulls in separate clashes. The team set up for each bullfight, called a corrida de toros, is:
- Three matadores, or toreros, usually on foot, whose purpose is to kill a bull
- Two picadores on horseback to provoke the bull by stabbing it with a spear
- Three banderilleros or peons to further wound the bull with darts (the banderilleros and picadores comprise the matador’s cuadrilla)
- Six fighting bulls aged between four and six years old
The drama unfolds over three acts, called tercios, each lasting around ten minutes. A bugle opens the first act and announces the beginning of each section.
Act One: Tercio de Varas
First is el paseíllo, where the matador and their team present themselves to the public in the Plaza de Toros. Next, the corrida de toros opens with the tercio de varas.
The two picadores enter the bullfighting arena, positioning themselves on opposite sides. The matador leads the bull to the center. One picador uses movement and noise to goad the bull into charging them, with the matador now safely out of the bull ring. Should the first picador be hurt, the second picador is on hand to step in.
The charging bull often tries to attack the picador’s horse. The picador stabs at the bull’s shoulders and neck with his spear (vara) to keep it at bay. This draws blood, weakens the animal, and reduces the power of its shoulder muscles. A successful picador will make the bull’s horns and head drop, nullifying some of its threat later on.
The watching matador calls to the picadores to stop, usually after three stabs, and then leads the bull to the center of the ring with flourishes of their yellow or violet cape (capote). The show moves on to act two.
Act Two: Tercio de Banderillas
The bugle sounds, and the three banderilleros enter the arena, armed with a ribbon-festooned dart (banderilla) in each hand. Their task is to embed their banderillas in the bull’s neck and shoulder area.
One banderillero uses their cape to distract the bull and allow their teammates to thrust their darts into its neck. This is often a perilous move for the banderilleros as they run towards the bull, darts lifted, and attempt to land their blow before pulling away at the last minute from the goring bull’s horns.
Each gets three attempts to land their dart, and a minimum of four are required before the matador can call the end to the tercio de banderillas. The goal of this act is to provoke the bull further so that it’s ready to charge in the final act.
Act Three: Tercio de Muerte
The matador enters the arena alone, carrying the iconic muleta, a red cloth, instead of the yellow or violet capote. The muleta is often mistaken for a cape, but this cloth is attached to a stick that the matador uses to control it. Bulls are colorblind, but the red cloth helps disguise any blood.
At this point, the torero may dedicate the bullfight to someone in the bullring.
The corrida is reaching its climax as the bugle sounds again, marking ten minutes for the matador to kill the bull. Within that time, called the faena, which means ‘work’ or ‘job,’ the matador shows their skills at controlling and evading the enraged bull. The public appreciates the art, courage, and superiority displayed by the torero in these exchanges.
Various charges and feints, called tandas, occur during this section, some practical to tire the bull and others with flourishes to please the crowd. In general, those that force the bull’s head high help reanimate a flagging animal, and lower passes tire the beast.
A successful torero shortens the passes over time, eventually able to lead the bull toward the fringes of the arena. With an estocada (sword) in hand, the matador tries to kill the animal at the first attempt. At this moment, some bullfighting fans may say: “There is no paradise without a sword!”
A precise strike at the correct angle between the shoulder blades will pierce the animal’s aorta, resulting in a quick death and admiration from the crowd. The bull’s ears may be lopped off and presented to the torero as a trophy. The tail is added if the matador has performed supremely.
Conversely, failure to kill the bull the first time usually results in the matador losing the public’s favor. It may take several charges by the bull for the matador to kill the animal. If the bull cannot charge, the matador cuts its spinal cord to reduce its pain, and then the animal is stabbed in the head to kill it.
Failing to kill the bull within ten minutes is a defeat. The matador is granted up to five more minutes to finish the faena. Should they fail, the team moves in to deliver the coup de grâce. Horses or mules drag the fallen bull’s body out of the arena. Matador deaths are rare but do occur, and the victorious bull is usually killed anyway.
Almost all bulls are slaughtered and butchered after a Spanish bullfight, then sold for human consumption. On very rare occasions, a bull that survives may be healed and used for breeding.
Is Bullfighting Still Popular in Spain and Other Countries?
The few countries where bullfighting continues are Spain, France, Portugal, Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela, Peru, and Ecuador. Indeed, the largest bullring in the world is the 50,000-capacity Plaza de Toros Mexico in Mexico City. Overall, more than 250,000 bulls die annually as fighting bulls.
While it may not be the most popular sport in Spain, the country remains bullfighting’s epicenter, with cities like Seville (Sevilla), Madrid, Córdoba, Ronda, Valladolid, Cádiz, and many more. Some Spanish towns, including the region of Catalonia, have banned bullfighting, as have areas of Mexico like Quintana Roo.
But it’s not all joy for bulls in these areas. For example, Catalonia still permits festivals where bulls run through towns and villages with flaming torches attached to their horns or are driven into the sea.
Many countries have banned bullfighting, including Argentina, Cuba, Italy and the United Kingdom. Amazingly, bullfighting’s first ban came almost 500 years ago. In 1567, Pope Saint Pius V banned the practice for it being non-Christian. This decision was later reversed as the Catholic church tried to stay in step with public opinion.
Who Are Some Famous Spanish Bullfighters?
Famous Spanish bullfighters include:
- Manuel Laureano Rodríguez Sánchez (1917-1947), known as Manoleti, was gored to death by a bull.
- Francisco Ribera (1948-1984), known as Paquirri, also died during a bullfight.
- Jesulin de Ubrique (1974-) was a flamboyant bullfighter who later moved into recording songs and acting.
- José Tomás (1975-) famously fought all six bulls in one exhibition and continued fighting in another despite being gored three times.
- Cristina Sánchez (1972-) came to prominence as one of the first female bullfighters, causing consternation in what was previously a fiercely male-dominated arena.
Are There Other Bull Events in Spain?
The most famous bullfighting event in Spain is the running of the bulls at the San Fermín fiestas in Pamplona. In July, people run through the city’s narrow streets, chased by bulls, to the bull ring.
Once inside the bull ring, a traditional bullfight occurs, followed by huge fiestas throughout Pamplona. The event lasts nine days and brings hundreds of thousands of people from around the world to spectate.
Many other towns, villages, and cities have their own versions of the running of the bulls. Valencia and Catalonia run their ‘fire bull’ festivals, with similar versions across Spain, despite many Spaniards being against them.
What Is the Controversy Surrounding Bullfighting?
Animal welfare and animal rights are front, back, and center of the anti-bullfighting movement.
In Spain, animal rights groups like PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) regularly protest against bullfighting and similar events like San Fermín.
Animal rights activists highlight the pain and suffering bulls suffer before their death, with the only aim being entertainment. They say that bullfights are rigged, with the beasts tortured and weakened by the bullfighting team before the matador moves in for the final kill.
Running of the bull events also cause the animals distress, according to animal rights groups, with many participants alleged to hit and harm passing bulls and the animals injuring themselves as they crash into obstacles.
Only 19% of Spaniards are in favor of bullfighting, with 58% against it, perhaps reflecting a societal shift toward this ancient event.
What Is Bloodless Bullfighting?
Bloodless bullfighting is a type of bullfighting. It is prevalent at Portuguese events and in the United States, particularly in Texas and California.
The pomp remains similar, but the banderilleros attempt to attach their spears to Velcro pads mounted on the bull instead of drawing blood. There is no matador, either. Here, the ‘toreros’ face the bull and try to grab its horns instead of stabbing it, or, depending on the venue, the killing is simulated.
Portuguese-Americans in Turlock, California, keep the bullfighting tradition alive in this bloodless way. However, the bull may still be killed afterward in a slaughterhouse for consumption.
What Role Does the Bull Play in the Cultural Symbolism of Bullfighting?
For centuries, Spanish culture venerated bulls as a symbol of strength and virility.
Bulls in a bullfight may represent human existence. We must all die, as shall the bull, and when we face that reality, how will we react? Will we face our fate and fight, or meekly accept it? Such existentialism elevated bullfighting to a higher art form in the eyes of its supporters.
Spanish painter Francisco de Goya (1746-1828), one of the world’s finest pre-impressionists, sketched many bullfighting scenes. His La Tauromaquia series featured a bullfighting uniform, still worn in commemorative corridas called corridas goyescas.
Globally, bullfighting and bulls became part of Spain’s image in part thanks to the American writer Ernest Hemingway. In several of his books, he passionately described bullfighting as an art form, writing in his book “Death in the Afternoon” (1932):
“Bullfighting is the only art in which the artist is in danger of death and in which the degree of brilliance in the performance is left to the fighter’s honor.”
Bulls decorate many products in Spain, including its iconic Toro brandy. The brand has a famous black silhouette logo of a bull. Giant versions of this symbol have been placed in highly visible spots throughout the country, cementing it as an iconic image in Spain.
Bullfighting: A Brutal Battle or Traditional Art Form?
A fighting bull’s fate is sealed from the moment it enters a bull ring. A matador and his cuadrilla team of banderilleros and picadores peck away at the bull’s strength, slowly bleeding it and weakening its neck and shoulder muscles.
Once significantly debilitated, the matador takes on the bull one-on-one, hoping to impress the crown with flamboyant moves worthy of the bull’s bravery. They have ten minutes to complete the task, finishing the spectacle with a skillful sword thrust between the bull’s shoulders into its heart.
Matadores rarely fail to kill a bull, but they can fail to impress the public with a poor killing or slow approach. Only the best take the bull’s ears and tail home as trophies.
Many are against bullfighting in Spain and further afield, calling it cruel. Some governments agreed and banned it. However, bullfighting remains popular enough to sustain itself in several countries.
For now, Spain remains intrinsically linked to bullfighting. For those not keen to watch an animal die for entertainment, it’s best to stick to the country’s delicious tapas.
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