Las Ventas Bullring, Madrid
One of the most symbolic yet
controversial aspects of Spanish culture is the Corrida de Toros
(Bullfight). When I moved to Madrid a
year ago, I debated whether I wanted to attend one or not. Even in Spain this honored tradition had
become a point of contention, with several provinces actually banning the
public killing of bulls. Madrid though is not like these other provinces. This is the heart of Spain and the center of
bullfighting.
Interior of Las Ventas Bullring
Las Ventas, Madrid’s bull ring is the second
largest in the world. It seats 25,000
spectators and is filled pretty regularly on Sunday afternoons. The fights are also shown on television
locally. Despite this obvious enthusiasm
all around me, I still felt I needed something more before I could go. What I found invaluable and what allowed me
to understand the bullfight was a relatively unrecognized work of Ernest
Hemmingway.
Hemmingway’s Death in the Afternoon, was published in 1932, and is as much a
contemplation of courage and cowardice as it is about bullfighting. According to Hemmingway, the bullfight is about
the courage of both the bull and the matador.
Without both components, you cannot have a great fight. To me this book made all the difference. It helped me to understand what I was seeing,
and it gave the spectacle a deeper meaning.
Bullfighting is not about torturing and killing a defenseless
animal. To believe this is to not fully
understand the ritual and its lessons about bravery in the face of death, for
both the bull and the man.
Before I get into more on the meaning
of the bullfight, I think it’s helpful to understand the ritual and the
different parts or thirds of the fight.
The fight begins with a parade of all those who will participate. This includes the three matadors, two
picadors on horseback, and three Bandilleros for each matador. Each also has a sword page that passes the
sword to the matador when it is time for the bull to be killed. The bullfight itself usually last about two
hours, and is not one single fight, but six fights with each matador killing
two bulls. The average fight lasts only
twenty minutes for all three stages.
The parade of the matadors, picadors, and bandilleros.
The first stage of a bullfight
involves the matador and the two picadors on horseback. With the ring empty, a horn sounds and the
bull comes charging into the ring. When
you picture this, remember that this is not any ordinary bull. Spanish fighting bulls are bred specifically
for their size, muscular build and above all, aggressiveness. These animals are more childhood monsters
then friendly cows. They range from a little over 1000 pounds, to over 1300
pounds and are between 4 1/2 and 6 years of age. More impressive, their horns looked to be at
least 18 inches long with a sharp point at the end.
The moment the bull enters the ring,
he is looking to gore and kill anything that moves. This is without being provoked or
weakened/injured in any way. As he runs
through the ring, he is distracted by the matador and other toreros
(bullfighters) with capes. This is
incredibly important for the bullfighter as he begins to gauge the bull and its
tendencies. Does he favor one horn? How easily does he charge? Does he prefer to hook with one of his horns
over the other?
Once the bull has been quickly
assessed, the picadors are brought into the ring. These men sit atop horses that are almost
completely covered in a thick padding made resistant to punctures. As the bull charges the horses, the picador
uses a long spear to stab the muscle at the back of the bull’s neck. This is not done to anger the bull or to
torture him, it’s done to weaken the muscle.
Coincidentally, this is the same muscle that the bull uses to raise and
lower his head. If the bull is to be
killed at the end of the fight humanely and quickly, this muscle must be weakened
so that the bull drops his head and his horns.
The stage of the fight with the
picadors is the one part of the bullfight that made me uncomfortable
initially. The reason for my uneasiness
was not the stabbing of the bull, but a worry over the safety of the
horses. Although the horse’s eyes are
completely covered and they are well padded, some horses are occasionally
injured by the sheer power of the bulls.
I had no desire to see an injured horse, thus my uneasiness. In regards to this, I’m not alone. Many people over the years objected to the
punishment the horses took, which is why they began using the protective
padding in the 1930’s. Prior to this
period, it was not uncommon for more unprotected horses to be killed than bulls
during a typical bullfight.
After the picador is twice charged by
the bull and twice uses the spear to weaken the bull, the horn sounds and the
second phase of the bullfight begins.
The second of the three phases of the bullfight is for the Bandilleros. The job of the bandillero is to place the
bandera. These are the pointed spears
that stick in the bull’s neck. The hang
from the bull and remain in place until after the bull is killed. The men that place these (bandilleros) move
like gymnasts. After getting the bull’s
attention, he charges them. They run
simultaneously at the bull, turning off at the last minute as they jump and
place the banderas. This is not a job
for the faint of heart, and one mistake could mean death for the bandillero. There are usually a total of three
bandilleros, which means six banderas are placed in the bull.
The beginning of the final stage of the bullfight.
The final of the three phases of the
bullfight, is the death of the bull.
This is the moment that you think of, when you think of a bullfight. The matador is alone in the ring with the
bull. During the first part of this
stage, the bull makes a series of passes at the matador. His performance is based on the aggressiveness
and willingness of the bull to charge, and the proximity of the matador to the
bull. There are also other tricks used
by matadors, maneuvers in which they make multiple quick passes, turn their
backs on the bull, or even reach out and touch the bull as he passes. This point in the fight is the most
beautiful, and where a great fight is made.
Cowardice on the part of either the bull or the matador during this
stage ruins the fight. This is also the
most dangerous part of the fight, and where most of the gorings occur. Unlike early on, where the bull charges
mindlessly, the bull has learned from previous passes and is much more
calculating. He isn’t wasting energy any
more. Now each pass is a precise attempt
to destroy the matador.
The end of the bullfight comes when
the matador decides to kill the bull.
Before doing this, he walks to the side of the ring where he is handed a
sword by his sword page. Once he has the
sword, he will carry out a few more passes before raising the sword above his
head and pointing it down towards the bull.
Once the bull charges, the sword is placed between the shoulder
blades. If done properly, the sword
severs the aorta or enters the heart.
The bull then staggers for a few moments before collapsing and
dying. If the matador is unsuccessful in
killing the bull after two or three tries, the bull is put down quickly. The whole fight lasts only twenty minutes.
As I said when I began this piece, I
wasn’t sure before attending my first bullfight how I felt about it. I questioned whether the bulls were being
tortured, taunted, and killed without purpose.
After witnessing a fight firsthand, I have no problem with the corrida
de toros. Bullfights are not about the
things above, they are about courage and honor for both the matadors and the
bulls. If it weren’t for the bullfights,
Spanish fighting bulls as a breed would have become extinct long ago. During the years they live prior to entering
the ring, they live an existence that is comfortable, even luxurious, when
compared with the standards that most animals live by. I would argue that anyone who eats beef or
wears leather has no right to complain about the corridas. The animals that provide them with these
products are treated in a far harsher manner than fighting bulls. After all which is more humane, fattening
pens, antibiotics, and death by electrocution, or a comfortable life and an
honorable death in a bullring.
Whether you agree or not, and I’m
sure some of you won’t, the corrida de toros is an interesting and often
misunderstood part of Spanish culture.
It is beautiful and tragic, violent and honorable. It’s a living relic of a bygone era, and one
of the keys to understanding Spain and its people.
