Bullfight!: A Closer Look at Spanish Bullfighting

The idea of the bullfight has existed continually since ancient times and it has permeated different civilisations to different degrees.  Evidence from the ruined site of Knossos in Crete shows a painting of a bullfight dating back some 2000 years BC.  Similarly, the bullfight was a popular public event in ancient Rome and the Roman Empire.

Nowadays the idea of the bullfight remains popular is America in the form of rodeos, though this is certainly less violent than the form of the sport which was brought to Spain by the Romans.  Indeed, Spanish bullfighting is still hugely popular and it owes a lot to the legacy of the Roman Empire.  Spanish bullfighting really took off in the areas of Southern Spain close to Africa were tribes such as the Visigoths and Vandals had to fight bulls off regularly before using it as a form of entertainment.

As Spanish bullfighting progressed, the men on foot who helped other horsemen to beat the bulls by using capes and diversionary tactics began to gain more crowd attention and respect as their job was so dangerous.  The man who fulfilled this role in the bullfight would eventually be called the matador and the bullfight would be known as the corrida.

In terms of the modern bullfight, there are usually five-six bulls to be killed by three matadors and each bullfight goes on for around 15 or 20 minutes.  Spanish bullfighting maintains its atmosphere by adhering to tradition, working to preordained regulations dealing with clothing and starting times.  The bullfight usually starts between 5 and 6pm and the matadors attempt to win the bullfight while wearing a distinctive silk jacket, thin tight trousers and a hat known as a montera.  

In Spanish bullfighting, the bull first comes into the arena from the pen gate and the matador instigates the bullfight with a series of opening moves with the cape.  These bullfight moves are known as veronicas after St. Veronica, the woman who held out a cloth to clean the face of Christ on his way to Calvary.  As the bullfight continues, the matador will become involved in yet more death defying manoeuvres narrowly avoiding the bull’s deadly horns and thrusts.  

The bulls used in Spanish bullfighting and in other bullfights are naturally vicious thanks to centuries of breeding savage studs.  Contrary to popular belief, the bullfight is not based around making a bull charge at a red cape as bulls are colour-blind.  Instead, this colour was chosen to hide bloodstains which may have offended some people at bullfights in the past.  The bulls used in Spanish bullfighting simply charge at any moving target.  

Following the opening moves of the matador, his mounted assistants known as the picadors begin lancing the bull before its head is lowered for the final kill.  The killing of the bull obviously ends the bullfight but the festivities do not end there.  Spanish bullfighting is such a popular spectacle that many people go to see it and enjoy the evening out with friends and family.

Even though the bull will be weakened by the lancing attacks of the picadors, the bullfight can still go awry for the matador at that point and lining up the final kill is most dangerous.  The style of Spanish bullfighting means that the bull gets progressively angrier about the cape and charges with all its might.  The matador must end the bullfight by hitting the bull between the shoulders with one blow and this is why Spanish bullfighting is so dangerous.