Today, some of my classmates and I went to a Bull Fight at Las Ventas stadium. This stadium is prestigious in Spain and only the best of the best are awarded with 2 ears (the president awards the matador with an ear or two ears if they do an exceptional job fighting the bull). According to our guest instructor, throughout the last 30 fights, only 2 matadors have received 2 ears. I had to buy a hat, because our seats were located on the side that was exposed to the sun. This photo shows how goofy Maisara and I looked outside of the stadium with our new hats on.
The stadium was packed to the brim with 24,000 people. The structure of the stadium is interesting and actually shows a little bit of Spanish history and culture in it. The arches that you can see here are typical of Muslim architecture and for centuries, Muslims had control over the peninsula.
This guy has a huge impact on the bull fight as he is the first one to inflict injuries upon the bull. During one fight, the crowd was angry at this guy for stabbing the bull too many times. This photo shows the guy upon the blindfolded horse as he prepares for the first stage of the fight.
I'm sorry about the gruesome photos, but a bull fight is what it is. All six bulls died today, and I am not quite sure how I feel about it. This photo shows the second stage of a bull fight in which the short darts are used to slow down the bull and ultimately lower his head in preparation for the kill.
This matador was the best by far. He had the whole crowd yelling "Ole!" as he maneuvered his cape and subsequently the bull as well. Our instructor said that if he would have finished the bull off in his first attempt with the sword, he would have surely received at least one ear for his performance. However he didnt, and he ended up receiving nothing. This photo shows the matador during the third and final stage of the fight.
I can only imagine how wild it would feel to be face-to-face with this 600 kg giant bull. This photo shows the matador just before he goes in for the kill.
I didn't think about it before going, but the way they get the bull out of the ring is by dragging the body from behind three horses and into the tunnel. It seemed a little harsh, but I guess that probably is the quickest and easiest way to get a giant bull's corpse out of the ring.
After this matador's performance, he walked slowly around the ring as he accepted cheers from the crowd. Many people began to throw their hats, shirts, and even a few roses into the ring as he continued his way around.
In total, there were 6 bull fights today. The first one was the most gruesome after the bull was mistakenly stabbed in the lung, causing him to spew up large amounts of blood all over the circular sand pit. The crowd wasn't happy about this and you could tell by their reactions even if you didn't speak Spanish.
The second and third bulls were killed much more efficiently, but the matadors weren't as entertaining to watch. They didn't have nearly as much style or as many difficult maneuvers when it came to tiring out the bull with the red cape.
The fourth fight was the best as it was the one with the most infamous and stylistic matador. He put on a pretty entertaining show in my opinion and the crowd's opinion as well.
It was during the fifth fight that my hopes came true when the bull pinned down one of the men that was fighting. I know it seems messed up to hope that upon someone, but then again so is killing 6 bulls for entertainment (even if they say it is an art form, there were plenty of people there for sheer entertainment). The man was pierced by the bull's horn in the area of his groin and after the bull stopped pinning him to the ground, he was quick to get up and out of the ring. I came to the event trying to decide if I was rooting for the matador or the bull, and this moment felt slightly satisfying since I felt sorry for the bulls.
The sixth and final fight was quite boring. Our instructor said it was a great bull, but the matador wasn't so great. I was more than ready to leave after the final bull was killed.
Overall, it was a great cultural experience, but I can say with confidence that I will never sit in the sun for two and a half hours, crammed in between two people in the smallest seat I have ever had in a stadium, to watch 6 animals mercilessly killed for the enjoyment of 24,000 people. I have learned that many Spaniards are against the art of bull fighting and that if it came down to a referendum, bull fighting would most likely be banished in Spain. However, this is not the case and these kind of events happen on a daily basis in cities all across Spain. Sitting in front of us was a family of 6 with 4 kids under the age of 12. I was shocked by how little the deaths of these animals effected them. If I would have seen an event like this when I was in elementary school, I would have reacted totally different, but thankfully this isn't something that we do back in America.
Thanks for reading,
RCE
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