This Sunday I went to Madrid to see a bullfight. Words do not compare because it was amazing and unlike what I had expected. It is hard to watch the bull be slain, but at the same time it is a part of the culture and I had a great experience overall. My matador was sporting a lavender outfit and is only 18 years old. After watching the fight I wanted to know more about what I had seen and this is the captivating result along with what I witnessed. The practice of bullfighting has been traced back to around the year 711 A.D. This tradition began as a way to honor the crowning of King Alfonso VIII. Originally a sport for the aristocracy this sport initially began on horseback. The use of horses is still incorporated today but only for roughly 10 minutes when the picadors ride out on horseback to stab the bull with 10 foot poles with razors at the ends (The horse is blindfolded during the event and I don’t blame them, I would have been scared too!). It was years later when King Felipe V banned the aristocracy from the sport and the commoners made the sport their own. They developed the practice of dodging the bulls on foot around 1724 and also started the practice unarmed.

The faena is considered the most beautiful and skillful section of the fight and where the matador must prove his courage and artistry. The faena consists of a bull running at the Matador carrying a muleta. This is a piece of thick crimson cloth draped over a short stick, which can be held in either the left hand or draped over the espada or the sword. It was interesting because the gentleman in front of us explained the matador has two swords. The first is for defensive use and is straight. The actual killing sword is longer and has a curved tip so that when the matador stabs the bull it goes directly into the heart. This is called an estocada and the bull should die instantly if the matador is a very good fighter. However if it hits bone it is a pinchazo or media-estocada. If the bull fails to die the matador may take the descabello or a very short sword which he stabs into the bull's neck severing the spinal cord. Then the fight was over and the net fight would begin. This was not as gruesome as I think we had imagined and the adrenaline we had I believe was shared by others who were screaming Spanish words that I did not recognize. In the end I believe my matador in Lavander was the best as in his last fight the bull forced him to the ground many times and he kept going back in there to finish the bull off.