A Bull Fight in Madrid

Mondays on the Move with Kate is a travel series following the adventures of Caldwell Travel’s Kate Godfrey as she explores the world and shares her experiences. She is currently on a 5 month European Adventure.

The Spanish style of bullfighting has evolved over the years to become a very stylized ritual. Supporters of bullfighting (and their numbers are dwindling) view bullfighting as an art form. Bullfighting can be traced back to the Roman Empire, and was introduced to Spain as one of the many forms of gladiatorial contests pitting humans against animals.

When you go to a bullfight in Spain you will see three matadors perform their ritual – each matador receiving two bulls. Originally fighters were on horseback. The use of the cape and fighting the bull on foot were introduced in the 18th century.

Each bull fight begins with the flagmen using their bright pink and yellow capes to entice the bull to charge, allowing the matador to view the bull in action. If the matador decides that this bull is good enough to fight he will make a signal to the official and the bull fight proceeds. If the bull is a dud – a new bull will be sent in.

Next up are the picadores. Picadores/Lancers are men who sit atop horses with long lances. Once the bull has been stabbed twice with the lance, this round is over. It sounds simple enough; however more often the not, the bull attempts to overthrow the horse. It takes quite a bit of convincing for the bull to let the horse go and the round to finish.

Banderilleros come out next The banderilleros/flagmen have the job of attempting to plant “banderillas”, little flags (sticks with barbed hooks decorated in bright colors), into the shoulders of the bull. Banderilleros will not stick the bull if it is not charging, sometimes it can take a while to get the bull engaged in the fight. Typically, this round goes pretty quickly.

The final phase of the bull fight is known as the “Tercio de Muerte” which means The Death Third. It is now time for the matador to take on the bull/toro. The matador is alone and carrying a small red cape and his sword. Using the sword to manipulate the cape he entices the bull into charging, passing within inches of his body. He does this for several minutes, which makes for the most intense part of the entire spectacle, as a 1,200 pound bull with large horns charging at a tiny matador is quite intense.

Finally the matador takes the sword and charges at the bull, attempting to stab it between the horns and kill it. This can come as a surprise for first-timers who are not aware that the bulls die in the end. This stage is very dangerous and requires a lot of skill. Once the bull has died the round is over. The bull is carted out of the bullring by a group of horses. If a matador has done a good job then the official will award him with a trophy: one ear, two ears, or if the performance is exceptional: two ears and the tail.

Watching a bull fight is not recommended for those who get queasy at the site of blood, animal lovers, or vegetarians. Six bulls meet their demise during the two hour bull fight. It is a unique experience and very rewarding in terms of observing cultural customs and societal differences – which can be a large part of travel – but disturbing at the same time.

The bull fight described and photographed was at the Las Ventas bull fight stadium in Madrid, one of the largest and most important bull fight rings in the world. Las Ventas seats 25,000 people on cement bleachers. Bullfights in Madrid happen every day during the month of May for the San Isidro festival, and generally every Sunday evening during the summer months.

Madrid has so much to offer – if you’d like to book a Spanish Vacation, contact Caldwell Travel today!