Page 16 - All About History - Issue 26-15

Animals & Man

Style and grace are deemed

just as important as actually

killing the bull

BULLFIGHTING

12THCENTURY-PRESENT,SPAIN

Now considered by many to be a barbaric act In a traditional Spanish bullfight there are
of animal cruelty, bullfighting has been an three bullfighters, and each one kills two
important part of Spanish, Portuguese and bulls. The event starts with a parade called
Latin American tradition for centuries. The ‘el paseillo’, where the protagonists march
first recorded fight took place in Mesopotamia to the royal box. Each fight is divided into
in 2100BCE, and by the Middle Ages it was three phases. During the first phase, known
being practised across the Mediterranean. as ‘tercio de varas’, the bullfighter uses the
In Spain it became a pastime of the rich, cape while the ‘picador’ jabs the bull with a
restricted to those who could afford to keep long lance while on horseback. The aim of
the animals. In these Medieval events, the this stage is to pierce the muscles in the bull’s
bull was fought on horseback, but in the early neck in order to lower its head. The second
1700s bulls began to be fought on foot. It was stage is the ‘tercio de banderillas’, in which
around this time that bullfighting started to the bull is pierced with barbed darts. Finally,
draw huge crowds, with people packing into during the ‘tercio de muerte’, the bull is
arenas to watch the bloody events unfold. stabbed through the heart and killed.

Audience
The Real Maestranza
de Caballeria in
Seville can seat up to
13,000 spectators. The
audience will boo and
hiss if they feel the
picador is weakening
the bull too much for
an entertaining fight.

Banderilleros
These men are responsible for
stabbing the bull with barbed
darts. These are placed in such
a way as to ensure the bull
charges in a straight line, making
its movements more predictable.

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