BULLFIGHTING

1.- PERSONAL EXPERIENCES

1.1. My hobby, past and my granfather

I started in the world of bulls when I was very young. When I was born, I was the first
grandaughter in the family. My grandfathers loves bulls and horses, for this reason they
taught me a typical customs in my small village. In fact, we have been together in a lots
of bull rings and they showed me a lot of different experiences with the bulls.

1.2. The changes of my grandparents and associations for young people.

When my grandparents were older, they couldn't go with me, because the row of the
bull rings were made of Stone and it was very uncomfortable. They didnt have good
heatlh to continue with this activity.

For this reason, when I started in the university. I joined a young people's bull
association. In this association I found a lot of young people with similar costums and
curiosities about the world of bull.

1.3. My boyfriend and my life as a taurina nowadays

Nowadays, my boyfriend works in the world of the bulls as a banderillero. In fact, he

is working with an important spanish bullfigther. For this reason, my life continues to be
mixed into the world of the bulls.

2.- BULLFIGHTERS

2.1. Bull events

Capeas: Organized events in which vaquillas are released in a plaza and the public can
interact with them. Vaquillas are aggressive although much less dangerous than bulls.
Novilladas: Bullfights in which novilleros fight novillos to gain experience. These
fights usually take place in small towns and villages during their celebrations.
Encierro: Consists of a running of the bulls through the streets. Runners run down
fenced lined streets in front of a small heard of toros, novillos or vaquillas on their way
to the plaza where they will await the afternoons bullfight in the stalls. Cabestros are
often present to guide the herd and often suffer aggressive attacks from
the bravo untamed bulls.
Corrida de toros: A public spectator bullfighting event which occurs in a bullfighting
ring. Normally three bullfighters confront 3 bulls each in a corrida.
 2.2. Bullfight things

Banderillas: Translated literally as "little flags" which are harpoon-pointed colorful

sticks that are jabbed into the bull's back.
Capote: gold and magenta dress cape used in the first third of the corrida
Descabello: The act of severing the bulls spinal cord with a vedugo.
Estocada: a quick sword thrust between the bulls shoulder blades and through the
heart. This movement is intended to result in a quick and clean death.
Faena: The third stage of the corrida performance with a muleta consisting of a series
of tandas.
Indultado: A few times a year a bull will be indultado, or 'pardoned', meaning his life is
spared due to 'outstanding' behavior in the bullring. The audience petitions its pardon by
waving white handkerchiefs. If pardoned, the bull is returned to the field where he will
live up to 20 to 25 years and be used as a stud.
Lidiar/Torear: Verb to bullfight until death
Muleta: small red cape used in the third stage of the Spanish bullfight
Pasello: A parade of all the toreros through the arena before a corrida.
Tanda: Series of passes between the bull and torero: a typical tanda might consist of
three to five basic passes and then a finishing touch, or "remate", such as a "pase de
pecho", or "pase de desprecio".
Tercios: A corrida is divided into three tercios or thirds.
Traje de luces: custom-made matador costume embroidered with silver or golden thread
inspired by 18th century Andalusian clothing.
Vara/rejones de castigo: long lance / lances of punishment used by the rejoneadores.
Verdugo/Puntilla: a second type of sword used to severe the bulls spinal cord to kill it
instantly in the event of a failed estocada.

3.- DIFFERENTS TYPES OF BULLS

3.1. Ganaderas ( procedencia, ganaderos, fincas, )

3.2. Actividades y trabajos en las ganaderas.

3.3. Edades de los toros y su funcin

Cabestros: Cabestros are male castrated bulls or steer, of a different breed than the
fighting bulls. They are tamed and used to help on toro bravo ranches. They are also
trained to be used in encierros and bullfighting rings to guide the herd through the
streets and into their corrals. They are easily identifiable by the bells they wear around
their necks.
Tienta: Both female and male toros are tested at age two to see if they are suitable for
breeding, bullfighting, or meat. Males are judged based on their aggression towards
horses, as they are not allowed to confront a human on the ground until the day they
enter a bullfighting ring. Females are often fully tested by a bullfighter and capes to
determine their courage and suitability for breeding. Male bulls who pass the tienta will
return to their pastures and females who pass will be used to bear offspring. Those who
do not pass are slaughtered.
Novillos: Novillos are those male bulls that are less than 3 years old or do not pass the
bravery and stamina test to become first rank fighting bulls. These bulls are used
in novilladas to train novilleros.
Toro: a Bull - an Iberian cattle breed. Fighting bulls are selected primarily for a certain
combination of aggression, energy, strength, stamina and intelligence. They reach
maturity slower than meat breeds as they were selected to be athletic with massive
muscles, especially the morillo, a complex of muscles over the shoulder and neck which
gives the bull its distinctive profile and strength with its horns. The horns are longer
than in most other breeds and are also present in both males and females. Mature bulls
weigh from 500 to 700 kg (1100-1600 lb).
Toro de Lidia/Toro Bravo: male macho fighting bulls selected and bred to be used
in encierros (running of the bull) and corridas de toro(bull fights).
Vaquillas/Novillas: female wild cow of the same breed as the fighting bulls between two
and four years old. They are traditionally used in place of fighting bulls
or novillos for capeas or encierros in village celebrations because they are much smaller
and less likely to cause grave damage.

4.- DIFFERENTS TYPES OF JOBS IN BULLFIGHTING

4.1. La cuadrilla (chfer, banderilleros, picadores, ayuda, mozo de espadas)

4.2. Empresarios

4.3. Seguridad, mdicos, veterinarios, ganaderos

Banderilleros/Rejoneadores: Each matador has 3 banderilleros or Flagmen who are

also considered as toreros or bullfighters. They perform in the first and second third of
the corrida.
Cuadrilla: The 6 assistants of a matador are collectively known as a cuadrilla, or an
entourage: 2 picadores, 3 banderilleros, and 1 mozo de espada.
Matadores: Matador de toros literally translated as bull killer is the professional level
of a bullfighter.
Mozo de espadas: The matadors assistant or sword page. The mozo de
espadas prepares and hands the matador all the equipment necessary during the corrida.
Novillero: a junior bullfighter who is still in training and has not yet been
declared matador de toros. Novilleros fight novillos to gain experience. These fights
usually take place in small towns and villages during their celebrations.
Picadores: Bullfighters or Lancers, mounted on horseback with varas (lances). During
the first stage of the bullfight the picador enters the arena on horseback armed with
a vara. The horse is protected from the bull by a petro, a protective mattress-like
covering.
Torero: The term torero or bullfighter
includes matadores, picadores and banderilleros.

5.- CONFLICT WITH BULLFIGHTING

5.1. Association of the bull of lidia

5.2. Destroyers of the pestivity / animalists

5.3. Meaning of the festivity / history

6.- BULL- RING

6.1. Categories of bullfighting ring

6.2. Capacity of the bullfighting ring

6.3. Entrance (Tickets), prices, structure.

WHAT A CORRIDA IS ABOUT

If you are not familiar with corridas de toros (bullfights), here is what happens in order,
so that you can decide by yourself whether you want to see one when you are in Spain.
A corrida starts with the paseillo, when everybody involved in the bullfight enters the
ring and presents themselves to the president and public.
Two alguacilillos on horseback look up to the president's box and symbolically ask for
the keys to the puerta de los toriles. Behind that door the bulls are waiting. When the
door opens and the first bull enters the spectacle starts for real. It consists of three parts,
called tercios("thirds"), the separation of which is signalled with a bugle call. There are
three toreros-bullfighters (the better-known word "toreador" is actually never used in
modern Spanish)-in each corrida, each being allotted two bulls. In the first tercio the
bullfighter uses the capote, a rather large cape that is a pinkish-mauve colour on one
side and yellow on the other.
Now the two picadors enter on horseback, armed with a sort of lance. The second tercio
is la suerte de banderillas. Three banderilleros must stick a pair of banderillas into the
charging bull's back. In the final suerte suprema the bullfighter uses the muleta, a small
red cloth draped from a stick. He has to show his mastery to dominate the bull, and to
establish an artistic symbiosis between man and beast. The corridaends with the torero
using his sword to kill the bull

The Bullfight is an important tradition in Spain although at the same time the most
polemical. Find out more information about bullfighting ritual.

The modern corrida is highly ritualized, with three distinct stages or tercios ("thirds"),
the start of each being announced by a trumpet sound.
The corrida starts with a parade called pasello in which the participants enter the arena
to salute the presiding dignitary.
Stage 1 - Tercio de Varas ("third of lances")
In the first stage, the bull enters the ring where it will be tested by
the matador and banderilleros with the required tanda ("series of passes") using
the capote. During this phase the matador observes the bull's behavior, how it charges
and its ferocity.
Next, two picadores enter the arena armed with a long lance or varas and mounted on
large heavily padded and blindfolded horses. When the bull attacks the horse
the picador stabs just behind the morillo, a mound of muscle on the bull's neck. The
manner in which the bull charges the horse also provides important clues to the matador
regarding which side the bull prefers. If successful, the combination blood loss and the
force exerted by the bull to lift the horse up with its neck and horns will strain the bull
enough to cause it to hold its head lower during the following stages of the bullfight.
This is a mandatory step in the corrida which makes the bull's charges less dangerous
and more reliable, enabling the matador to perform.
Stage 2 - Tercio de banderillas (third of flags)
In the next stage, the tercio de banderillas, the three banderilleros each attempt to plant
two banderillas, or sharp barbed sticks, into the bull's shoulders. The banderillas further
weaken the bull but also anger it, cause it to make more ferocious charges. Sometimes
the matador places his own banderillas.
Stage 3 - Tercio de Muerte ("third of death")
In this stage, the matador re-enters the ring with a red cape or muleta stretched over a
wooden dowel in one hand and a sword in the other. From the moment the first pass is
performed, the matador has a total of 15 minutes to kill the bull.
The matador will perform a series of tanda, different series of passes all with specific
names that make up the faena, or entire performance with the muleta. The faena ends
with a series of passes in which the matador attempts to maneuver the bull into a
position to kill it with an estocada, or the thrusting of the sword between the bull's
shoulder blades and through the heart. A clumsy estocada can raise loud protests and
destroy the whole performance.
If the matador is unsuccessful in the estocada, a descabello must be performed in which
the matador uses a verdugo sword to lower the bull's head by pricking its nose and then
delivers a quick thrust to the back of the bull's neck with the intention of severing its
spinal cord to kill it instantly. If the bull does not die immediately a coup de grace s
performed by a puntillero or cachetero in which a dagger is used to completely pierce
the spinal cord.
The bull's body is then dragged out by a team of mules or horses. If the residing official
is impressed with the animal, it may be drug around the arena as an honor. Very rarely, a
bull may be granted an indulto, or pardon for an outstanding performance. The indulto
is requested by the public by waving handkerchiefs before the estocada and must be
approved by the president. If pardoned, the bull will be symbolically freed by the
matador, which is a great honor. The bull will never fight again as no bull with any
experience can ever be used more than once because they learn from experience and
thus would be too dangerous.
If the matador has performed particularly well, the crowd may petition the president to
award the matador an ear of the bull by waving white handkerchiefs. If his performance
was exceptional, the president will award two, and in some rings a tail can also be
awarded. If the matador won at least two ears during the corrida then he is eligible
for salida en hombros, to be carried out on the shoulders of admirers.

BULLFIGHTER GORINGS

Bullfighting has gotten much safer over the years, especially with the introduction of
padded protection for the horses and special medical surgical units for the toreros.
For toreros, the most dangerous part of the corrida is when they perform the estocada.
With no protection, one error can cost life of the matador. Cogidas is the word used
when the torero is gored by the bull.

BULLFIGHTING CONTROVERSY
Bullfighting has generated controversy in many parts of the world, including Spain,
Portugal, Peru, Mexico and Ecuador. It was even recently prohibited in Catalonia, an
autonomous region of Spain. Supporters argue that it is a cultural tradition and an
important source of tourism while animal rights advocates consider it a blood sport that
tortures both bulls and horses.

To be a matador

We know of course that for some in the past, the corrida de toros was a means to escape
poverty. But surely, in this modern and affluent society of today, with more education
and better prospects for the future, poverty should have been taken care of. To others it
was the attraction to a life of glory and fame. However, to one or two it meant
something more than material gain.

He said: "A corrida de toros is all about emotions although someone who isn't open to
this will never understand. I am a matador and I feel privileged to be one. Life is lonely,
but I don't mean this in a negative sense. Loneliness is something I've always looked
for. As a matador you constantly walk around with a strange feeling. Life is more
intense and I think this is important to me because life never lasts longer than until the
next corrida. I realise that what I'm doing is unique and know that what I want to
achieve, will never be repeated. That is, if I ever achieve what I want to achieve."
Maybe, whoever wanted to become a matador went searching for a well balanced body
and soul? But surely, there must be safer ways to do so.

The aficionado

Everyone who visits a corrida should know that - apart from the obvious - it is
impossible to predict the outcome of what is about to happen. For an aficionado
perseverance is essential and a supply of luck indispensable, which is why he has such a
complicated personality. In spite of all this, he'll go back the following day for a second
helping.

Such an aficionado vents his disappointment by hissing and booing at the leading
player (man r beast), especially when the matador fails to see the possibilities that are
offered to him.
A bullfight isn't about violence. Our bullfighter isn't better than the one from your town.
Violent rivalry between competing towns or fan clubs is unthinkable in a bullring.

White handkerchiefs
The matador has killed his bull well and the stands are alive with white, fluttering
handkerchiefs. In all the years I have attended the corrida, I have never been able to find
out the origin of the white handkerchief.

staging a corrida was a strictly royal affair and only the finest of the Spanish nobility
were allowed to take part.
However, If one wishes to reward a matador, one does so by waving a white
handkerchief! Although I know this sounds hopelessly romantic, Rafael de Paula,
perhaps the most romantic matador in history, once said: If romance leaves the
bullring, the corrida is finished.

Despus de vestirse de luces. Jos Antonio Morante de la Puebla se concentra en su

habitacin del hotel.
Dressed in his suit of lights, Jos Antonio Morante de la Puebla concentrates in his
hotelroom.
(foto / photograph: Olga Holgun)

the bullfighting and its curiosities and customs.

or novillos for capeas or encierros in village celebrations because they are much smaller
and less likely to cause grave damage.

Bullfighting. What is bullfighting? Bullfighting is certainly one of the best-known-

although at the same time most controversial-Spanish popular customs.

Bullfighting is certainly one of the best-known-although at the same time most

controversial-Spanish popular customs. This Fiesta could not exist without the toro
bravo, a species of bull of an ancient race that is only conserved in Spain. Formerly this
bull's forebears, the primitive urus, were spread out over wide areas of the world. Many
civilizations revered them; the bull cults on the Greek island of Crete are very well
known. The Bible tells of sacrifices of bulls in honour of divine justice.
Bulls also played an important role in the religious ceremonies of the Iberian tribes
living in Spain in prehistoric times. The origins of the plaza de toros (bullring) are
probably not the Roman amphitheatres but rather the Celtic-Iberian temples where those
ceremonies were held. Near Numancia in the province of Soria one of them has
survived, and it is supposed that bulls were sacrificed to the gods there.
While religious bull cults go back to Iberians, it was Greek and Roman influences that
converted it into a spectacle. During the Middle Ages it was a diversion for the
aristocracy to torear on horseback-a style known as suerte de caas.
In the 18th century this tradition was more or less abandoned and the poorer population
invented bullfighting on foot. Francisco Romero was a key figure in laying down the
rules for the new sport.