Submitted by Patrick Tighe on the 2019 summer session program in Granada, Spain sponsored by the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures…
On a weekend trip to Sevilla, I had the pleasure of visiting the Real Maestranza de Caballería de Sevilla. This architectural masterpiece is a bullfighting ring, in fact it is one of the world’s most well-known bullrings favored by everyone from Spanish monarchs in the 18th and 19th centuries to Ex-Patriot authors, like Hemingway, who sought cultural experiences as inspiration for novels and poems.
Bullfighting is an incredibly brutal sport; some activists argue that the sport is simply animal cruelty and should be treated the same as dogfighting. Putting aside the fact that dogs were domesticated some 13,000 years ago and have held a special place in the hearts of humans since, I can agree that the recreational killing of bulls is a barbaric tradition. According to PETA every year thousands of bulls are slain during bullfights; this is not something that should still be occurring in 2019. However, I encourage anyone who has never taken the time to research the sport of bullfighting to do so, and potentially visit a site.
Upon arrival to the bullring in Sevilla I was taken aback by the immaculate architecture. Incredible white walls form the ring with sharp red and gold trim, a nod to the Spanish flag. Once you enter and buy a ticket (only $5 with a student discount, thanks UD) you’re given an audio-guide free of charge and sent to explore the ring. This is where the day truly began to unfold as one of the most interesting cultural experiences of my life. We were taken to a museum inside the ring, for every room dedicated to the bull there was another dedicated to the matador. In the museum, I learned about a man named Juan Belmonte. Belmonte was the first matador to decide that he would stay within only a few centimeters from the bull for the entire fight. It was incredible.
A wild beast with only one goal, to kill the matador, and yet Belmonte decided he would stand as close as possible. Personally, I think this is quite romantic. A true appreciation of the bull its power, grace, and strength. The romanticism did not stop in the museum. The tour took us to the stables and to my surprise sharing a wall with the stable was a chapel. Many bulls die in bullfighting, as pointed out earlier, but many matadors die as well. The matador risks his life because he truly loves the bull and the art of bullfighting. Prior to entering the ring, the bull is in the stable and the matador in the chapel. Next to each other, the bull in its stable sieving with power and testosterone, the matador in the chapel praying for the grace and intellect needed to overcome the obstacle in front of him and make it out of the ring alive.
This experience was incredibly impactful. On the outside looking in, I felt sad for the bull that was almost definitely losing its life. Upon really immersing myself in an incredible historic bullring, I found some appreciation for the matador. Risking his life for the love of the sport, dancing in the ring alongside a ferocious animal known for killing and gorging men. A classic battle of human mental prowess against brute strength. This is something that doesn’t quite happen anymore. Today sports are far less romantic and graceful, they require much less bravery. Athletes are protected from one another in the forms of pads or penalties, and with the boom of E-Sports some can make a fortune without turning off their laptop. It was refreshing to learn about a time when man and beast interacted with one another directly with no exterior protections to one or the other.
I cannot emphasize enough that I agree with the animal rights activists, bullfighting is not something that should continue today. Yet the immersion into this part of history enlightened me to the beautiful spectacle that was bullfighting many years ago.
To end with the thoughts of a classmate on the bullring: “outdated tradition, impactful experience.”