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Spanish Bullfighting Research Paper

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If you are traveling, particularly in Spain’s southern region of Andalusia, there are few places that you can’t find a bullring within a short drive. The Spaniards have long been fascinated with the contest between the brave matador and the mad beast. Every week during bullfighting season that lasts from March to October, thousands of Spaniards watch a corrida de toros, bullfight. In fact, the first bullfight is traced back to 711 A.D. when the sport was viewed in honor of the crowning of King Alfonso VIII. At that time, nobles on horseback participated in the sport. However, all of that was changed when King Felipe V ended this trend because he didn’t think it was right for men of such nobility to take part in violent contests. After that, the commoners took it over as their game. Since they didn’t have horses, they changed the game from horseback to foot. There has been some return to riding on horseback in bullfighting, but primarily the participants are on foot. While there has been and continues to be some limited opposition to bullfighting, it has found its place as an important part of Spanish history and culture. In fact, bullfighting in Spain is as widespread as baseball in …show more content…

After a parade, the bull enters the ring and the matador tests the bull with capes and banderilleros. Through the use of a series of passes with capes, the matador learns a great deal about how the bull will charge and also his level of fierceness. Next, the matador uses the banderilleros, which are harpoon pointed colorful sticks that he jabs into the bull’s back. Then two picadores who are bullfighters on horseback enter the ring armed with a vara. The horses the picadores ride are heavily padded and blindfolded. The vara used by the picadores is a long lance that is used to attack the muscle on the bull’s neck. In this phase, with the blood loss, the bull’s charge is lessoned and his actions become more

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