Bullfighting

Bull ring (Plaza de Toros) La Malagueta in Málaga (Spain)

Bullfighting or tauromachy (Spanish toreo, corrida de toros or tauromaquia; Portuguese tourada, corrida de touros or tauromaquia) is a tradition that involves, most of the time, professional performers (generally called in Spanish toreros or matadores and in Portuguese toureiros) who execute various formal moves with the goal of appearing graceful and confident, while masterful over the bull itself; these maneuvers are performed at close range, concluding (in Spanish-style bullfighting) with the death of the bull by a well-placed sword thrust as the finale; whereas in Portugal the finale consists of a unique tradition called the pega where men (Forcados) are dressed in a traditional costume, of damask or velvet, with the long knit hats also worn by the famous Ribatejo campinos (cowboys).

The practice generates heated controversy in many areas of the world, including Spain where the "classic" bullfighting was born.

Plaza de Acho in Lima, Peru - the oldest bullring in South America, dating back to 1766

Origins

Bull-leaping: Knossos

Mithras killing a bull.

Bullfighting may trace its roots to Minoan Crete, where the bull-leaping ritual practiced by youths of both sexes is memorialized in the famous wall-frescos at Knossos. The wall murals show male and female acrobats confronting the bull, grabbing its horns as it charges towards them, and vaulting themselves over its back. This is known as "bull leaping". However, the frescos offer no hint of struggle or violence, and the Lunar Bull was a sacred animal commemorated in ritual and legends such as that of the Minotaur. Modern archaeologists tend to emphasize the danger involved in this athletic skill and may underestimate the extent to which the bull cooperated. A more likely explanation is found in the worship of Mithras in the pre-Christian Roman Empire. The killing of the sacred bull (tauromachy) is the essential central iconic act of Mithras, which was commemorated in the mithraeum wherever Roman soldiers were stationed. Many of the oldest bullrings in Spain are located on the sites of, or adjacent to the locations of temples to Mithras.

Bullfighting is often linked to ancient Rome, when many human-versus-animal events were held as a warm-up for gladiatorial sports. Alternatively, it may have been introduced into Hispania by the Moors in the 11th century, although there are theories that it was introduced into Hispania a millennium earlier by the Emperor Claudius when he instituted a short-lived ban on gladiatorial games, as a substitute for those combats. The latter theory was supported by Robert Graves. In its original Moorish and early Iberian form, the bull was fought from horseback using a javelin. (Picadors are the remnants of this tradition, but their role in the contest is now a relatively minor one limited to "preparing" the bull for the matador.) Bullfighting spread from Spain to its Central and South American colonies, and also in the 19th century to France, where it developed into a distinctive form in its own right.

Another belief is that bullfighting as is in present times has its roots based largely in wars that occurred between Iberians and Moors. As history has it, a common war strategy of the Moors was to set fire to the tails of bulls which would cause the herd to stampede into opposing armies in a frenzy. This tactic on the part of the Moors created a need to devise a way of overcoming the oncoming stampede on the part of the Iberian peninsula's previous inhabitants. According to this theory, what we see today in modern bullfighting: swords, horses, Spanish style, muletas, facing the bull without weapons as is seen in Portugal's forcados, etc., was born from the necessity of survival in battles against the Moors.

French ethnologist Dominique Aubier considers according to an epistemological study that there is no relationship between the Spanish bullfight and either Greek sacrifice (a ritualistic agricultural celebration) or Roman Gladiators. She sees the corrida as arising from a 20 000 year old primitive hunting tradition, and considers the theory of a so-called Arabic introduction of the corrida in Spain is an extravagance. In the 18th century, the Spanish introduced the practice of fighting on foot, Francisco Romero generally being regarded as having been the first to do this, about 1726. The modern style of Spanish bullfighting is credited to Juan Belmonte, generally considered the greatest matador of all time, who introduced a daring and revolutionary style which kept him almost constantly within a few inches of the bull. Although extremely dangerous (Belmonte himself was gored on many occasions), his style is still seen by most matadors as the ideal to be emulated. As bullfighting developed, men on foot started using capes to aide the horsemen in positioning the bulls. This type of fighting drew more attention from the crowds, thus the modern corrida, or fight, started to take form. Today, bullfighting is still similar to the way it was in 1726, when Francisco Romero, from Ronda, Spain, used the estoque, a sword to kill the bull, and the muleta, which is a small cape that is used in the last part of the fight.

Styles of bullfighting

Originally, there were at least five distinct regional styles of bullfighting practiced in southwestern Europe: Andalucia, Aragon-Navarre, Alentejo, Camargue, Aquitaine. Today, these styles evolved more or less into standardised national forms mentioned below. The "classic" style of bullfighting which comes to most peoples' minds, where the bull is killed, is the form practiced in Spain and many Latin American countries.

Spanish

Starting a corrida (paseíllo)

Spanish-style bullfighting is called a corrida de toros. (literally a "running of bulls", the name being derived from the past participle of the Spanish verb correr, "to run", meaning however "bull's run"). The event is also named fiesta brava. In a traditional corrida, three toreros,also called matadores or, in French, toreadores, each fight two out of a total of six bulls, each of which is at least four years old and weighs up to about 600 kg (with a minimum weight limit of 460 kg for the bullrings of the first degree). Bullfighting season in Spain runs from March to October. The fights that attract most spectators are the ones held during fiestas patronales, named ferias taurinas. The most prestigious of such fights is held for the fiesta of San Isidro in Madrid.

Each matador has six assistants — two picadores ("lancers") mounted on horseback, three banderilleros, and a mozo de espada ("sword servant"). Collectively they comprise a cuadrilla or team of bullfighters. However, the whole crew includes also an ayuda (aide to sword servant) and subalternos (subordinates) including at least two peones (pages, singular peón). There are also the areneros (arena personnel): Alguacilillo (there are two men of this title who represent the presiding dignitary on the ground and apply his orders) and a number of servants named monosabios (they are in charge of the ring after each individual fight but their most active participation is when they help the picador and his mount on foot) and mulilleros (they lead the set of mules that drags out the bull's body after the corrida).

The suerte de capote

The corrida is highly ritualized, with three distinct parts or tercios, start of each announced with a trumpet sound. The participants first enter the arena in a parade or paseíllo to salute the presiding dignitary; presidente, accompanied by band music. The ritual is a key factor, for example: The oldest matador goes to the far left, and the newest will be in the middle. If a matador is new in the Plaza, where the bullfight is taking place, he will do the "paseíllo" without his hat on. Torero costumes are inspired by 18th century Andalusian clothing. Matadores are easily distinguished by their spectacular and quite costly "suit of lights" (traje de luces).

Next, the bull enters the ring to be tested for ferocity by the matador and banderilleros with pink and gold capes. Bulls are raised by specialist breeding estates called ganaderías. Each bull is recorded delicately with its name, weight, and age to profile the estates. The bull enters the arena with a rosette on its back bearing the colours of the estate it belongs to. For example, Miura colours are green-black in Madrid and green-blue in the provinces. Estate owner is represented by a mayoral and if their bulls display an exceptional performance, in the end, he will be invited to share a lap around the ring with toreros.

The tercio de varas

In the first stage, the tercio de varas ("Lances third"), the behavior of the bull is observed by the matador by the way the bull behaves in the arena and how he attacks the capes, when banderilleros play with the bull with their capes. The matador is particularly interested to know which horn the bull prefers to use, whether the bull charges in straight or curved lines and whether or not the bull has eyesight problems (poor vision in one eye, for example, could result in unusual head movements). Then the matador goes and confronts his rival. If he performs with art and courage, he will be rewarded with an ovation. This initial section is called suerte de capote ("act of cape"). Here, there are a number of fundamental "lances" or passes that matadors make with the cape; the most common is the "veronica".

Then two picadors enter the arena, armed with lances or varas. Each is mounted on a heavily padded and blindfolded horse of usually large stature. The bull is encouraged to attack the horse which is protected by its padding and generally treats the attack with stoic patience. The way the bull charges the horse provides further important clues to the matador on its bravery and persistence. The picador stabs a mound of muscle on the bull's neck, leading to the animal's first loss of blood. If the picador does his job well, the bull will hold its head and horns lower during the following stages of the fight. This makes him slightly less dangerous while enabling the matador to perform the elegant passes of modern bullfighting. More importantly, this tempering of the bull's strength allows the human to take on substantially more risk.

It is the first major test of the bull's bravery, and even more importantly, most bulls' behaviour changes dramatically (for better or worse) after the lance. It is therefore viewed by most as a crucial and mandatory step of the corrida. Regulations require a certain number of "pics" and it is the responsability of the plaza judge or president to enforce this. In some rings a torero may request more or fewer pics in order to correct any perceived defects.

The tercio de banderillas

In the next stage, the tercio de banderillas ("banderillas third"), the three banderilleros each attempt to plant two coloured, harpoon-pointed sticks (banderillas, literally "little flags") on the bull's flanks. These further weaken the enormous ridges of neck and shoulder muscle, which set fighting bulls apart from ordinary cattle, through loss of blood, while also frequently spurring the bull into making more ferocious charges. The placing of the banderillas is also the last chance to correct or fine tune the charging tendencies of the bull. Some of the more skilled matadors will often do this themselves. If the bull proves to be extraordinarily weak or unwilling to fight, the presidente may order, to the disgrace of the breeder, the use of black banderillas.

Faena

In the final stage, the tercio de muerte ("death third"), the matador re-enters the ring alone with a small red cape or muleta in one hand and a sword in the other. Having dedicated the bull to an individual or the whole audience, he uses his cape to attract the bull in a series of passes, both demonstrating his control over it and risking his life by getting especially close to it. The red colour of the cape is a matter of tradition, as bulls are actually colour blind. There are a number of distinct styles of pass, each with its own name. The fundamental pass with the muleta is the "natural," traditionally meaning a left-handed pass with the muleta without the aid of the sword to prop it up.

The faena is the entire performance with the muleta, which is usually broken down into a series of "tandas" or "series". 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." The faena ends with a final series of passes in which the matador with a muleta attempts to manoeuvre the bull into a position to stab it between the shoulder blades and through the heart. The entire part of the bulfight with the muleta is called "el tercio de muerte" or suerte de muleta ("act of muleta").

Bull in the arena with banderillas on flanks

The act of thrusting the sword (estoca or estoque) is called an estocada. A clumsy estocada that fails to give a "quick and clean death" will often raise loud protests from the crowd and may ruin the whole performance. If estocada is not successful the matador must then perform a descabello and cut the bull's spinal cord with a second sword called verdugo, to kill it instantly and spare the animal pain. Although the matador's final blow is usually fatal, it may take the bull some time to die. A coup de grâce is therefore administered by a peón named a puntillero, using a dagger to further pierce the spinal cord. The matador must kill the bull in fifteen minutes after the first muleta pass, at most. After ten minutes, if the bull is still alive, the presidente will order an aviso, a warning given with a trumpet sound, followed by a second after further three minutes and a following third after further two. The presidente will then give an order to have the bull returned to its pen (corral).

Matador in the tercio de muerte

The bull's body is dragged out by a set of galloping mules. If the presidente is impressed by the performance of the bull, he orders a tour around the ring to honour the animal. Very rarely, a bull will be allowed to survive a fight as an indulgence granted in recognition of an exceptional performance. The spectators will demand an indulto from the presidente, by waving handkerchiefs, before the estocada. The matador will stop and look at the presidente. If he stands still, he will resume his action and kill the bull. But if he has an orange handkerchief hung on his balcony, the matador will imitate the estocada with a banderilla or with the palm of his hand and the bull will be "freed". Such bulls are generally retired from competition and raised as studs, as their experience in the ring makes them extremely dangerous opponents.

A trofeo (trophy) is the usual indicator of a successful faena. When the records of bullfights are kept, trofeos earned by the matador are always mentioned. If the crowd demands, the matador is allowed to take a lap of victory around the ring. If more than or about half the spectators petition the presidente by waving handkerchiefs, the presidente is obliged to award the matador with one ear of the bull. To award the matador with another ear or with two ears and the tail; los máximos trofeos, depends solely on the presidente's appreciation. The matador who won at least two ears is given the permission to be carried on the shoulders of the admirers (salida en hombros).

Although most of the fights take the form described above, there are bullfights that have distinctive properties;

• Mano-a-mano corridas are bullfights where two matadores fight three bulls each in competition.
• Novilladas are bullfights where younger bulls of two to four years of age (novillos) and apprentice toreros (novilleros) are involved. Novilladas with novillos younger than three are held without picadores, for novillos aged three, a shorter vara is used.
• Festival is a bullfight where toreros, novilleros, and amateurs alike can attend. They are held for charity purposes. The costume worn at festivales is a more humble one named traje corto. The bulls used for a festival are the ones that have the tips of their horns severed.
• Corridas Goyescas are special events that intend to reflect the visuality of bullfights represented in the works of Francisco de Goya. This type of bullfights was originally introduced at Ronda back in 1954.

Other lesser spectacles

Paseíllo in a corrida de rejones

Professional

• The rejoneo or corrida de rejones — A rider on horseback (a rejoneador (lancer)) tries to stab javelins called rejones de castigo in the first stage and banderillas in the second. In the final stage, kills the bull with a lance called rejón de muerte, also in some occasions, the rejoneador will kill the bull on foot by the traditional way with muleta and estoca.

Pablo Hermoso de Mendoza, world renowned rejoneador performing and earning two ears and a tail http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfTQaEo7o_w

• The recortadores — Where a bullfighter dodges around the bull and does not use a cape or sword [1]. Bulls are not killed during this type of bullfight. Most specialists of bullfighting of this art come from Aragon.
• Comedy spectacles, such as El bombero torero y los enanitos toreros ("The bullfighting fireman and the bullfighting dwarfs").

Amateur

• The encierro — A "running" of the bulls through the streets. Customarily, runners run before the bulls to guide them from the pen to the plaza, where the bulls will await the afternoon's bullfight. The most famous are those of Pamplona in July. A dangerous activity, care should be taken by those who wish to participate. In Segorbe, bulls are herded to the bullring by riders on horseback, an event called Entrada de toros y caballos, which is a tourist attraction.
• The Toro de la Vega — in September at Tordesillas. A bull is carried to an open terrain by the river. There a crowd (on foot and on horse) tries to kill it with lances. Considered as an espectáculo tradicional (traditional spectacle) by the government of Castilla y León.
• The vaquillas (sokamuturra in Basque) — A young cow is freed in a small ring (often built for the period of the festival and then dismantled) among local youths who tease her. The cow may have a dangling rope for recovery purposes. This is also practiced in Pamplona after the traditional running of the bulls.
  • A Mediterranean variation is placed on a dock. When youths are cornered, they jump into the water.
  • Another variation is the nightly toro de fuego ("fire bull"). Balls of flammable material are placed on the horns, frightening the bull. Nowadays the bull is often substituted by a runner carrying a chassis on which fireworks are lit. Dodgers run to avoid the sparks.

Before the diffusion of modern sports premises, bull rings were used in the Basque Country for challenges of resistance running. The public made bets on the number of laps the runner could make. No bulls were involved.

Portuguese

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Lisbon (Portugal) bullring, Campo Pequeno.

The Portuguese now practice a type of bullfighting which is in many respects different from its original form. An idea of the original form can be constructed from the Spanish style. Portuguese corrida de touros has four main figures:

• Cavaleiro - A horseman (rider), dressed in traditional 18th century costumes fights the bull from horseback. The horses are Portuguese Lusitanians, specially trained for the fights. These horses are usually skilled in dressage and may exhibit their art in the arena. The purpose of this fight is to stab three or four bandarilhas (small javelins) in the back of the bull. Horseback bullfighters are frequently members of old aristocratic families.
• Forcados - The forcados are a group of eight men who challenge the bull directly, without any protection or weapon of defense. The front man provokes the bull into a charge to perform a pega de cara or pega de caras (face catch). The front man secures the animal's head (usually it is a violent choke) and is quickly aided by his fellows who surround and secure the animal until he is subdued. Forcados were usually people from lower classes who, to this day, practice their art through amateur associations.
• Matadores - Same as the Spanish matadores, but they do not kill the bull in the end.
• Bandarilheiros - These men with capes are the matador's and/or cavaleiro's helpers in the arena.

File:Forcado1.jpg

The braves Portuguese Forcados in action.

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Forcados making the Pega.

Most Portuguese bullfights are held in two phases: the spectacle of the cavaleiro, followed by the pega. In Portugal, the main stars of bullfighting are the cavaleiros, as opposed to Spain, where the matadores are the most prominent bullfighters. Nevertheless, bullfights with matadores are also frequent, notably with Portuguese matadores who practice their trade in Spain and who, when in Portugal, replace the sword in their final strike with a bandarilha. Examples of famous Portuguese matadores are Vítor Mendes and Pedrito de Portugal.

The bull is not killed in the ring and, at the end of the corrida, leading oxen are let into the arena and two campinos on foot herd the bull along them back to its pen. The bull is usually killed, away from the audience's sight, by a professional butcher. It can happen that some bulls, after an exceptional performance, are healed, released to pasture until their end days and used for breeding. Nevertheless, tradition was so strong at the small frontier town of Barrancos, where the bull was illegally put to death in the arena, that the government was forced to relent and permit the town to follow its ancient matador tradition and kill the bull in the arena.

In Portugal, some bulls have their horns severed and covered in a way that they do not present sharp points. This practice is believed to have been introduced by King Joseph I of Portugal after a tragic event in a bullfight he was presiding. The son and heir of the Marquis of Marialva was fighting a bull on horseback when the animal wounded his horse. The young man fell, was kicked by the bull and killed. The Marquis himself, then around 70 years of age, jumped from the royal cabin that he shared with the king, drew his sword and killed the animal.

There are many forms of traditional, popular bullfighting in Portugal, differing from the "official" version, some of which involve groups of people doing a tug-of-war with young bulls, by holding large wooden structures into which the animals charge. In the Azores, bullfighting is often remniscent of the running of the bulls in Pamplona, Spain, in which those most at risk are human beings, not the bulls themselves.

Bullfights are not accepted in some parts of Portuguese society, as it is in some parts of Spanish society, and to that extent, has seen a decline in the number of spectators in those sectors. However, southern and central regions such as Ribatejo and Alentejo, and the Azores are traditionally more interested in the corrida de touros, than Portugal's northern regions, where it has little presence. Part of this decline is traceable, for good or bad, to the homogenization and uniform moral subjectivity of European culture and ethical standards.

French

Since the 19th century Spanish-style corridas have been increasingly popular in Southern France, particularly during holidays such as Whitsun or Easter. Among France's most important venues for bullfighting are the ancient Roman arenas of Nîmes and Arles, although there are bull rings across the South from the Mediterrannean to the Atlantic coasts. A more indigineous genre of bullfighting is widely common in the Provence and Languedoc areas, and is known alternately as "course libre" or "course camarguaise". This is a bloodless spectacle (for the bulls) in which the objective is to snatch a rosette from the head of a young bull.

A young raseteur flees from a bull

Cultural aspects of bullfighting

Artistic representation of a bullfight

Many supporters of bullfighting regard it as a deeply ingrained integral part of their national cultures. The aesthetic of bullfighting is based on the interaction of the man and the bull. Rather than a competitive sport, the bullfight is more of a ritual which is judged by afficionados (bullfighting fans) based on artistic impression and command. Ernest Hemingway said of it in his 1932 non-fiction book Death in the Afternoon: "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 honour."

The bullfight is above all about the demonstration of style and courage by its participants. While there is usually no doubt about the outcome, the bull is not viewed as a sacrificial victim — it is instead seen by the audience as a worthy contestant, deserving of respect in its own right. Bulls learn fast and their capacity to do so should never be underestimated. Indeed, a bullfight may be viewed as a race against time for the matador who must display his bullfighting skills before the animal "understands" what is going on and begins to thrust its horns at something other than the cape. If a matador is particularly poor, the audience may shift its support to the bull and cheer it on instead. A hapless matador may find himself being pelted with seat cushions as he makes his exit.

Bullfighting, Edouard Manet, 1865-1866.

The audience looks for the matador to display an appropriate level of style and courage, and for the bull to display aggression and determination. For the matador, this means performing skillfully in front of the bull, often turning his back on it to demonstrate his mastery over the animal. The skill with which he delivers the fatal blow is another major point to look for. A skillful matador will achieve it in one stroke. Two is barely acceptable, while more than two is a botched job.

The moment when the matador kills the bull is the most dangerous point of the entire fight, as it requires him to reach between the horns, head on, to deliver the blow. Matadors are at the greatest risk of suffering a goring at this point. Gorings are not uncommon and the results can be fatal. Many bullfighters have met their deaths on the horns of a bull, including one of the most celebrated of all time, Manolete, who was killed by a bull named Islero, raised by Miura, and Paquirri who was killed by the bull named Avispado.

If the matador has done particularly well, he will be given a standing ovation by the crowd, who wave white handkerchiefs and sometimes throw hats and roses into the arena to show their appreciation. Occasionally, if the bull has done particularly well, it will get the same treatment as its body is towed out of the ring (although an even greater honor is for the bull to be allowed to survive due to an exceptional performance). The successful matador will be presented with colours to mark his victory and will often also receive one or two severed ears, and even the tail of the bull depending on the quality of his performance.

Bullfighting is traditionally a male sport. A very small number of women have been matadors and "cavaleiras" (in Portugal), recent example being Cristina Sánchez or Sónia Matias, but they have experienced considerable resistance and hostility from afficionados and other matadors.

Social aspects

In the era of mounted bullfighting, it was a sport of nobility like jousting. The introduction of ground fighting allowed commoners to practice it. It became a means for poor people to achieve fame and fortune. When a famous torero was asked why he risked his life , he reportedly answered Más cornada da el hambre ("Hunger hits harder with its horns"). The maletilla or espontáneo was a poor person who illegally jumped into the ring trying to show that he could bullfight before being taken away. Bull breeders have extensive properties (generally in Andalusia, Extremadura or Castilla-La Mancha) where the bulls are raised free-range. They try to select cattle with a characteristic combination of intelligence, strength and attack-proneness. Often a star matador buys a ranch where he retires rich to breed his own pedigreed bulls. The bullfighting season coincides in each city with the local yearly festivals. Often the plazas are run by charities. After especially shocking disasters, charity corridas are organized.

Influence in art

The corrida happens to the tune of live-played Pasodobles. Many of them were composed to honour famous toreros.

Bullfighting is seen as a symbol of Spanish character. It has inspired Francisco de Goya, Georges Bizet, Vicente Blasco Ibáñez, Julio Romero de Torres, Pablo Picasso,Salvador Dalí, Ernest Hemingway, Federico García Lorca, Cantinflas, Pedro Almodóvar, Fernando Botero, Gabriel García Márquez, Joaquín Sabina, among many Spanish and foreign artists.

Criticisms of bullfighting

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A protest behind the Spanish embassy in Washington DC.

Bullfighting has for many years been a controversial activity; while it has passionate supporters forming a vocal minority, it is reviled by critics as a gratuitously cruel blood sport. Animal welfare campaigners object strongly to bullfighting because they believe that animals should not be killed or abused for entertainment. Some also believe that the bull suffers severe stress or a slow, painful death. Bullfighting is banned in many countries; people taking part in such activity would be liable for terms of imprisonment for animal cruelty. "Bloodless" variations, though, are permitted and have attracted a following in California, and France. It is notable that Spanish laws against cruelty to animals have abolished most archaic spectacles that had involved animals while including specific exceptions for bullfighting. Animal welfare supporters, but also non activists, believe that such exemptions were passed because legislators were worried that prosecutions of bullfighting would otherwise take place .

Anti-bullfight graffiti in Bogotá, Colombia

A number of animal rights or animal welfare activist groups undertake anti-bullfighting actions in Spain and other countries. In Spanish, opposition to bullfighting is referred to (somewhat inaccurately) as taurofobia. Some separatists despise bullfighting because of its association with the Spanish nation and its blessing by the Franco regime as the fiesta nacional. However, even a former Basque Batasuna leader was a novillero before becoming a politician. Barcelona came out a few years ago with a symbolic ban of all kinds of bullfighting in the Catalonia region as a signal of advancement and distinction along with the coming of the International Forum of Culture, and, after voting, was declared an Anti-bullfighting City - during a public event in front of Barcelona City Hall. Catalan nationalism naturally played an important role in this decision. Bullfighting in Barcelona continues to this day[2] Bullfighting has been banned in the Canary Islands, but cockfighting is still legal.

English-speaking critics often confuse the tauromachy with the coarse entertainment of "bull-baiting" formerly popular in Britain, in which packs of specially-bred bulldogs were loosed upon a bull confined within a ring or even tethered to a stake. Bull-baiting was a rustic and lower-class entertainment until the 1830s, when increased sensitivity to animal suffering made it objectionable to the governing classes and it was outlawed. Opponents of the tauromachy respond that elite social status accorded to a blood sport or ritual does not excuse it.

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Poster advertising a bullfight in Leganés Graffited.

Partial responses to a part of the opposition

Part of the "artistic" impression of a corrida is based on the perception of the "cleanliness" of the kill; prolonged suffering is regarded as part of a very poor performance, and experienced bullfighters are able to avoid it. Some claim that the highest form of "Airs above Ground" (a component of the most famous form of Lippizan horse training) at one time was bullfighting, to use all the high precision movements learnt in the school to evade the bull and have its rider spear it was deemed the most dangerous and difficult move of all. In the modern day, the Spanish Riding School does not train horses for bullfighting. Abuses to the bull that make it less apt to fight are regarded by many afficionados as scandalous, but abuses that make it more apt to fight are not regarded in such a fashion.

Economic reasons also may prevent mistreatment. Bull breeders invest their money in raising bulls and their financial stability depends on their bull's performance. If bulls are mistreated it will be obvious to the audience, and the bull's behavior in the ring will be compromised: it will be weaker, more distractible, etc. The bull's attitude is essential for the bullfight to play out as it is supposed to. Breeders work with the event organizers that use their bulls, and they are the first to complain if they notice the bull has been harmed in any way prior to the bullfight in a way that might damage the bull's entertainment value.

There is a type of aficionado named torista. A torista concentrates on the fighting abilities, courage, and stamina of each bull. If an expert torista spots a bull obviously weakened or mistreated before the fight, this will give a bad reputation for not only the breeder but also for all people in charge of the corrida.

Opponents of bullfighting have responded that the "cleanness" of the kill or the general treatment of the animal prior to the event is irrelevant; it does not counter the principle objection to the baiting or killing of animals for human entertainment.

See also

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Plaza de toros de La Santa Maria, in Bogotá, Colombia.

• Bullring
• Bloodless Bullfighting
• Cow fighting
• Plaza de Toros
• Ordóñez dynasty
• Romero dynasty
• Faena
• Fighting Cattle
• List of bullfighters
• Jallikattu - Bullfighting in Tamilnadu a state in south India
• Iberian horse
• Lusitano horse
• Andalusian horse
• Matador

External links

• California Bloodless Bullfights :: Events, Videos, Images, & More
• Bullfights in Tijuana
• Corrida.tv (in French) News and Videos
• School of Instruction for toreo in San Diego California
• International Andalusian & Lusitano Horse Association
• Bullfighting bronze art
• Dale Pierce's "Circe of Sand" (in Spanish)
• Portal Taurino - Portuguese Bullfighters (in Castillian)
• Portuguese Bullfighting
• "Death Rides the Horns" by Bullfighting historian Dale Pierce
• The "Forcado"
• Bullfighting style of Portugal
• Bullfighting FAQ
• Bullfight.es (Bullfight resource and guide)
• La Corrida on Yucatan Today
• The secret codification of the Spanish corrida, a book by Dominique Aubier, in French.
• Mundo Taurino, a complete guide to bullfighting
• Bullfighting in Andalucia
• Traditional Bullfighting in Yucatan as it's been practiced since XVI century
• Photos of Female Bullfighters in Spain Photo essay about Spanish female bullfighters by photojournalist Natsuko Utsumi.
• Images of Traditional Bullfighting in Yucatan
• Issues in Bullfighting including reference to the fact that bullfighting is still legal in Barcelona (from About.com)

Anti-bullfighting sites

• International Movement Against Bullfights
• Asociación para la defensa del animal, a Spanish anti-bullfighting group
• The cruelties of bullfighting. Created by two children of 11 and 10, but nonetheless very well-organized and adult-level.