Bull Fighting History

History
Bull-leaping: Knossos
Bull-leaping: Knossos

Bullfighting traces its roots to prehistoric bull worship and sacrifice. 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 or adjacent to the sites of temples to Mithras. [citation needed]

Bullfighting is often linked to Rome, where 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. There are also 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 later 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 in the 19th century to France, where it developed into a distinctive form in its own right.
Plaza de Acho in Lima, Peru - the oldest bullring in South America, dating back to 1766
Plaza de Acho in Lima, Peru - the oldest bullring in South America, dating back to 1766

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,[citation needed] 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,[citation needed] 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.
Mithras killing a bull.
Mithras killing a bull.

Bullfighting was practiced by nobility as a substitute and preparation for war in the manner of hunting and jousting. El Cid is believed to have been one of the first to bullfight in this manner. Religious festivities and royal weddings were celebrated by fights in the local plaza, where noblemen would ride competing for royal favor, and the populace enjoyed the excitement. In the 18th century, the Spanish introduced the practice of fighting on foot around 1726. Francisco Romero is generally regarded as having been the first to do this. 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, began to take form, as riding noblemen were substituted by commoners on foot. This new style prompted the construction of dedicated bullrings, initially square, like the Plaza de Armas, and later round, to discourage the cornering of the action. The modern style of Spanish bullfighting is credited to Juan Belmonte, generally considered the greatest matador of all time. Belmonte introduced a daring and revolutionary style, in which he stayed within a few inches of the bull throughout the fight. Although extremely dangerous (Belmonte himself was gored on many occasions), his style is still seen by most matadors as the ideal to be emulated. Today, bullfighting remains 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, a small cape used in the last stage of the fight.

Bullfighting has always been controversial in Spain and throughout history many of the ruling and better educated classes have considered it base and barbarous. Pope Pius V issued a bill titled De Salute Gregis in November 1567 which forbade fighting of bulls and any other beasts but it was abolished eight years later by his successor, pope Gregory XIII, at the request of king Philip II.

During the 18th and 19th centuries there were several attempts to prohibit or limit bullfighting [1] but they proved impossible and it was during these two centuries that the bullfight acquired the form it has today. During the Franco dictatorship bullfights were supported by the state as something genuinely Spanish so that bullfights became associated with the regime and, for this reason, many thought they would decline after the transition to democracy but this did not happen. During this time the socialist governments have generally been more opposed to bullfighting, prohibiting children under 14 from attending and limiting or prohibiting the broadcast of bullfights on national TV. During the present (2007) socialist administration most bullfights are broadcast on regional TV stations.

The Spanish royal family is also divided on the issue, from queen Sophia who does not hide her dislike for bullfights [2], to king Juan Carlos who occasionally presides a bullfight from the royal box as part of his official duties [3][4] [5], to their daughter princess Elena who is well known for her liking of bullfights and who often accompanies the king in the presiding box or attends privately in the general seating












Styles of bullfighting

Originally, there were at least five distinct regional styles of bullfighting practiced in southwestern Europe: Andalusia, Aragon-Navarre, Alentejo, Camargue, Aquitaine. Over time, these have evolved more or less into standardised national forms mentioned below. The "classic" style of bullfight, in which the bull is killed, is the form practiced in Spain, Southern France and many Latin American countries.

Spanish-style bullfighting

Main article: Spanish-style bullfighting

Spanish-style bullfighting is called corrida de toros (literally running of bulls) or fiesta brava (the ferocious festival). In traditional corrida, three toreros, or matadores, each fight two bulls, each of which is at least four years old and weighs 460-600 kg. Each matador has six assistants — two picadores ("lancers") mounted on horseback, three banderilleros ("flagmen"), and a mozo de espada ("sword page"). Collectively they comprise a cuadrilla ("entourage").

The modern corrida is highly ritualized, with three distinct stages or tercios, the start of each being announced by a trumpet sound. The participants first enter the arena in a parade to salute the presiding dignitary, accompanied by band music. Torero costumes are inspired by 18th century Andalusian clothing, and matadores are easily distinguished by their spectacular "suit of lights" (traje de luces).

Next, the bull enters the ring to be tested for ferocity by the matador and banderilleros with the magenta and gold capote ("dress cape").

In the first stage, the tercio de varas ("the lancing third"), the matador first confronts the bull and observes his behavior in an initial section called suerte de capote. Next, a picador enters the arena on horseback armed with a varas ("lance"). To protect the horse from the bull's horns, the horse is surrounded by a 'peto' – a protective cover. Prior to 1909, the horse did not wear any protection, and the bull would literally disembowel the horse during this stage.

At this point, the picador stabs a mound of muscle on the bull's neck, leading to the animal's first loss of blood. The manner in which the bull charges the horse provides important clues to the matador on which side the bull is favoring. 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 it slightly less dangerous while enabling the matador to perform the elegant passes of modern bullfighting.

In the next stage, the tercio de banderillas ("the third of flags"), the three banderilleros each attempt to plant two razor sharp barbed sticks (called banderillas) on the bull's flanks, ideally as close as possible to the wound where the picador drew first blood. These further weaken the enormous ridges of neck and shoulder muscle through loss of blood, while also frequently spurring the bull into making more ferocious charges.

In the final stage, the tercio de muerte ("the third of death"), the matador re-enters the ring alone with a small red cape (muleta) and a sword. It's a common myth that the color red is supposed to anger the bull, despite the fact bulls are colorblind (the real reason that a red colored cape is used is that any blood stains on it will be less noticeable). 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 faena ("work") is the entire performance with the muleta, which is usually broken down into "tandas" or "series". The faena ends with a final series of passes in which the matador with a muleta attempts to maneuver the bull into a position to stab it between the shoulder blades and through the aorta or heart. The act of thrusting the sword is called an estocada.

Occasionally, if the bull has fought bravely, and by petition of the public or the matador, the president of the plaza may grant the bull an indulto. This is when the bull’s life is spared and allowed to leave the ring alive and return to the ranch where it came from. However, few bulls survive the trip back to the ranch. With no veterinarian services at the plaza, most bulls die either while awaiting transportation or days later after arriving at their original ranch. Death is due to dehydration, infection of the wounds and loss of blood sustained during the fight.[1]

Recortes
Goya: The Speed and Daring of Juanito Apiñani in the Ring of Madrid 1815-16Etching and aquatint
Goya: The Speed and Daring of Juanito Apiñani in the Ring of Madrid 1815-16
Etching and aquatint

The conventional Spanish bullfight is mainly descended from the original Andalusian style where the cape was of prime importance. The Basque-Navarre style fell into a far second place and almost into oblivion but is now enjoying a resurgence in Spain where these events called "recortes" are very often shown on TV.

This style was quite common in the early 19th century and painter Francisco de Goya left some famous etchings depicting such events.

They differ from a corrida and are characterized by the following:

* The bull is not harmed in any way. There is no blood and the bull is returned to the pen at the end of the performance.
* The men are dressed in common street clothes and not in traditional bullfighting dress.
* They perform jumps and other daring acrobatics using no capes or any other distraction. It is the swiftness of their movement which allows them to evade the charging bull.
* There is no set ritual like there is in a corrida but rather the men have freedom to do their own stunts as they please.
* They work in teams but there is not the degree of distinction between matador and assistants that there is in a corrida.
* It is a competition where the teams compete for points awarded by a jury which is not the case of a corrida.

It is probable that these events will continue to grow in popularity [citation needed] as they are less objectionable to those who find the suffering of the bull objectionable and they are less costly to produce as there are no horses, fancy dresses and other costly items. As of yet the performers are not professionals but this may change if the events continue to grow in popularity.