One of my most vivid memories from my first expedition to Spain centers on what is likely the most stereotypical icon of the country and its culture for Americans – La Plaza del Toros – the bullring. I recall being so impressed with Madrid’s beautiful, behemoth of a stadium, and I was so excited to witness my first, genuine bullfight.
In grade school, a fellow student had done a presentation on his spring vacation to Mexico where he witnessed his first bullfight. Most of the students were repulsed by the concept of a sport that ended with the beheading of an animal, and I was rather skeptical at that time of what could possibly be entertaining about such a barbarous event. However, come high school and my first trip to Spain, I determined that I at least wanted to see for myself what all the hullabaloo was about. And so I, along with the other students, purchased our surprisingly cheap tickets, and I bought a beautiful movie-style poster displaying a painted scene of a matador dancing with his cape and the bull in a fight to the death. I remember an older Spanish man calling out to us, protesting the institution that so defined the country for us ignorant outsiders. Only later did I regret my failure to heed his warnings.

Finally, after thirty to forty minutes, when the bull had no more fight left in him, when he had worn himself out from the charging and the stabbing, the matador finally showed mercy and ended his suffering. After realizing the dire mistake we had all made, we unanimously agreed to watch no more of that evening’s spectacle. We left disturbed, disgusted, and embarrassed at our inadvertent participation in a scene from Gladiator. I vowed never to return to a bullfight again.
The first recorded bullfight is said to have taken place in 1133 to commemorate the coronation of King Alfonso VIII, though its origins are subject to debate. It is a sport that has dominated Spanish culture but has also been witnessed in Portugal, France, and South and Central America.
Like many sports, bullfights were ones that, until recently, excluded women. Even now, women make only minor appearances in the games. This is not an unusual phenomenon in itself. However, the gender implications the game creates are unique. Many scholars of bullfights in art and literature have reflected on the femininity the character of the matador tends to initially embrace and ultimately overcome when he dominates the wild bull, transforming into a true, machismo male. Adorned in brightly colored, be-jeweled, tight garments, the matador engages in an elaborate and beautiful dance with a cape as he works to subdue the bull. He must make a transformation throughout the game, overcoming the femininity and embracing his masculinity to prevail and dominate the wild spirit of the animal. Order is restored, machismo is rewarded, and the bull is dead.



Regardless of your sentiments of bullfights themselves, the Plaza de Toros in Madrid is alive and well and an architectural beauty worth visiting. My photos fail to do it justice in terms of its magnitude and detail. The multitude and variety of arched thresholds are adorned with green and blue mosaic tile, and beautiful movie-poster paintings hang along the entryway, advertising the upcoming shows.
Refusing to participate in an event I do not agree with, I no longer know what the prices are as far as watching a bullfight or potentially touring the interior. However, getting to the bullring is quite simple. One can very easily arrive by metro, taking line 5 to the Las Ventas stop. The exit spits you right out in the middle of the plaza, and before you have your bearings, there you are right in front of the gigantic structure and its awe-inspiring plaza along with a handful of other curious tourists. Sharing the bullring’s gargantuan plaza are a few statues dedicated to the matadors that have been killed in practice.
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Dedication to those matadors who have fallen in combat |
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After a successful career as a matador and philanthropist, Antonio Bienvenida was severely maimed by a calf he was taunting on his family farm, which cost him his life 3 days later. |
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