Bullfighting

Lore & Background

Bullfighting traces its roots to prehistoric bull worship and sacrifice in Mesopotamia and the Mediterranean. The first recorded bullfight may be the Epic of Gilgamesh, describing Gilgamesh and Enkidu fighting the Bull of Heaven. Bull-leaping was portrayed in Crete, and the killing of the sacred bull (tauroctony) was central to the Iranian Mithras cult, commemorated in mithraea wherever Roman soldiers were stationed. The oldest representation of a man facing a bull is on the Celtiberian tombstone from Clunia and the cave painting El toro de hachos, both in Spain.

Reader's Guide

Bullfighting is often linked to Rome's venationes, which spread to Africa, Asia, and Europe. It may have been introduced to Hispania by Emperor Claudius as a substitute for gladiators. Spanish colonists took the practice to the Americas, the Pacific, and Asia. In medieval Spain, bullfighting was a noble sport on horseback, enjoyed by figures such as Charlemagne and Alfonso X the Wise. Juan Belmonte later revolutionized the style by staying within centimeters of the bull. The modern Spanish corrida has three stages: tercio de varas (lancing), where picadores on horseback weaken the bull; and subsequent stages involving banderilleros and the matador's final kill. The practice remains controversial and is illegal in most countries, though it is defined as an art form or cultural event in Spain and parts of Portugal, Latin America, southern France, and the Philippines.

Did You Know?

• The first recorded bullfight may be in the Epic of Gilgamesh, where Gilgamesh and Enkidu fought the Bull of Heaven.
• The oldest bullrings still in use are the plazas of Sevilla and Ronda, dating from the 1700s.