Bullfighting is the least understood of all Spanish traditions. Performed on horseback until the 18th century, bullfighting had attained its present form by the 19th century, with established rules and a strict pattern to the corrida, or fight. The Corrida
Six four-year-old bulls are killed during a corrida, which starts at 5 p.m. Bred on huge estates on the rolling grasslands of Andalucia and Castille, the 1,000-pound bulls have never seen an unmounted man until the moment they enter the ring. The afternoon starts with a parade, the paseo - three matadors, bright figures in their “suits of light” who will each kill two bulls. The matadors are accompanied by their teams, known as cuadrillas. Each fight falls into three parts, marked by a trumpet call. First the matador must appraise the bull, using a cape to make the animal turn so he can judge its speed and dexterity. Bred for aggression, it will charge at the two mounted team members, the picadores, who attack its flanks with pikes. The next act allows the bull to regain its wind while it is further enraged by the banderillas, who pierce the neck muscles with ribboned darts. The pikes and darts gradually weaken the bull's immensely strong neck and cause its head to drop, allowing the matador access to the heart. The final stage of the drama belongs to the matador alone. Working with the muleta, a small red cloth, he draws the bull in a series of passes across his body, which can be as elegant as they are fearless. Finally, the bull will stand still, tired but still mesmerized by the muleta. This is the moment for the matador to take his sword and, reaching over the horns and shoulder blades, strike the bull cleanly through the heart. Bullfighting can be seen throughout Spain at all the major summer festivals. Not all Spaniards enjoy bullfighting, but they are tolerant of it. Those upset by the spectacle's inherent cruelty, however, should definitely not attend.
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