If I Were Going...: Corrida de Toros

We attended a corrida de toros (literally a "running of bulls") in Córdoba.

A toreador or torero

Although an actual running precedes some bullfights, it didn't in Córdoba. I have mixed feelings about reporting on it -- and I did not photograph the more disturbing parts of the fight.

A new experience; Photo: Scott Stevens

But, from a cultural perspective, it was quite interesting. And, it was definitely, the most Spanish thing we did.

Most of the audience was Spaniards

In traditional corrida, three toreros, also called matadores each fight two out of a total of six fighting bulls, each of which is at least four years old and weighs up to 1,300 lbs.

Close quarters

Bullfighting season in Spain runs from March to October. The corridas are normally held in conjunction with fiesta and don't appear to be frequent. Both the Canary Islands and Catalonia have banned bullfighting because of animal cruelty concerns. And, it is cruel.

The bullring is called a Plaza de Toros

Before the fights begin, the Alguacis (bullfight officials) ride out on horses ...

Pageantry

... followed by El Paseillo (the parade of bullfighters, called matadores and banderilleros) ...

Gorgeous costumes

... the picadores ...

Mounted on large horses

... and the drag mules ...

Decorated with flowers

The modern corrida is highly ritualized, with three distinct parts or tercios, the start of each of which is announced by a trumpet sound.

Whatever this means

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).

They are custom-made and embroidered with silver or golden thread

First, the bull enters the ring to be tested for ferocity by the matador and banderilleros with the magenta and gold capote, or dress cape.

Testing the bull

Bulls are raised on the open range by specialist breeding estates called ganaderías.

The rosette bears the colors of the estate of the bull's origin

In this stage, the tercio de varas (part of lances), the matador observes how the bull charges as capes are thrust by the banderilleros. Much of this segment includes matadores jumping behind protective barriers, while the bull charges from one place to another.

This bull passes muster

Next, two picadores enter the arena, each armed with a lance or vara.

The picadores are mounted on large heavily padded and blindfolded horses

The bull is encouraged to attack the horse, which is protected by padding and appears to treat the attack with stoic patience, although it was frightening to watch.

The picador stabs a mound of muscle (morrillo) on the bull's neck leading to the animal's first loss of blood. This loss of blood further weakens the bull and makes him ready for the next stage. You won't see much of this in my pictures.

The bull charges and attempts to lift the picador's horse with its neck muscles. This causes further weakening of the neck. 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 passes of modern bullfighting.

This is a ploy to weaken the bull

In the next stage, the tercio de banderillas (part of banderillas), the three banderilleros each attempt to plant two barbed sticks (banderillas, literally "little flags" as they are decorated with paper in the local colors) in the bull's shoulders.

The bull is tiring

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. By this point the bull has lost a significant amount of blood and is exhausted. The matador then enters with his cape and sword, tiring the bull further with several runs at the cape.

Taunting

In the final stage, the tercio de muerte (part of death), the matador re-enters the ring alone with a small red cape or muleta in one hand and a sword in the other. This cape is stretched with a wooden dowel and, in right-handed passes, the sword as well. The matador 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.

Tempting fate

The red color of the cape is a matter of tradition, as bulls are actually color blind: they attack moving objects.

A red-colored cape makes blood stains less noticeable

The act of thrusting the sword (estoca or estoque) is called an estocada.

Scary; Photo: Scott Stevens

The matador must kill the bull in 15 minutes after the first muleta pass, at most.

Stand-off

If the officials decide a bull needs to be removed from the ring rather than continue the fight, as happened in the first fight we witnessed because the bull injured his leg, a herd of larger bulls is released into the plaza to lure the fighting bull back into the chute.

Calling on herd instinct

The bull's body is dragged out by a team of mules. Sometimes the crowd waves handkerchiefs to ask for the bull to be spared. If this is done, he will be retired from competition and raised as studs, as their experience in the ring makes them extremely dangerous opponents. A fighting bull is never used in the ring twice, because they learn from experience, and the entire strategy of the matador is based on the assumption that the bull has not learned from previous experience.

Quick get-away

While disturbing, the bullfight is also quite balletic. The matadors look more like dancers than athletes, striking poses as they "fight" the bull.

Perfect form

One of the matadores fought in his stocking feet rather than in the traditional shoes.

Fighting in fancy socks

Following the fight, the crowd throws flowers.

A crowd favorite

We stayed for only three fights, so we didn't see how the event ends.

Córdoba is quite hot and it was interesting to see that Spaniards actually use Spanish fans to cool themselves.