España Parte Seis: Seville Bullfighting Ring & La Plaza de España

Spanish bullfighting is fought in three major parts, typically divided by a trumpet sound. The first part is called Tercio de Varas (“part of lances”). This part has a variety of purposes, including testing the bull’s strength, speed, coordination, and vision, as well as the first attack by the bull and subsequent stabbing by the picadores. In terms of bullfighting rules, and how the matador is judged and scored, this is a critical step of the bullfighting event.

The second part is called Tercio de Banderillas, where the three banderillas (flagmen) attempt to stick the bull with two barbed flags (hence their name of “flagmen”). The ideal spot for these flags are in the bull’s shoulder which weaken the neck and shoulder muscles.

The last part is called Tercio de Muerte (“part of death”), where the matador faces the bull solo armed with a cape and sword. As many already know, the cape is used to attract the bull in a variety of charges, however, as many do not know, the bull does not charge the cape because it is red. Bulls are colorblind and charge the cape because they instinctively respond to moving objects. Indeed, many bullfighters have intricate, colorful capes with no red in them. The Tercio de Muerte is arguably the most violent part of the bullfighting pastime; the killing of the bull is broken down into tandas (“series”), which include a few passes with the cape with the ultimate goal of stabbing the bull in the heart during a suerte de muleta. The first muleta pass is critical, because the matador, in order to “win,” must kill the bull within 15 minutes of the first pass of the cape. They receive a warning after 10 minutes, a second warning after 13 minutes, and third warning after 15 minutes. At that point, the bull is ordered to return to its pen. Unfortunately, and somewhat puzzling, the bull is killed regardless, however, some bulls can be pardoned if they demonstrated excellent perseverance and strength against the matador. Usually these pardoned bulls are later raised as studs; they are never brought back to the ring.

Anyone who knows me probably has already guessed I’m not a fan of the above “sport,” but I am a fan of history. So, I swallowed my tongue and embarked on a tour of the Seville bullring, or Plaza de Toros de la Maestranza. It is one of the oldest bullfighting rings in the world and dates from 1762 – 1881. The bullring offers tours, conducted in both English and Spanish; the tour takes you not only to the bullring itself, of course, but to a small museum located in the outer areas of the ring, which houses costumes, posters, paintings, bullheads, and a variety of other memorabilia.

Despite the ring being steeped in history, it is still an active ring. Bullfights occur from Easter Sunday to October 12th each year; about 20 fights in total occur during any given season. Fights are usually Sunday evenings and cost anywhere from a mere €8 to upwards of €70 depending upon seating. Check out more specific information here.

As can be expected, there is a large and very active animal rights/anti-bullfighting movement in Spain. Interestingly, the original push for reform regarding bullfighting didn’t arise out of any sympathy or demand for rights in regards to the animal, but actually arose from a push to get rid of any activities that were deemed “non-European” and believed to be driving Spain’s social and economic popularity into the ground. Only later did groups join to specifically address the animal welfare issues associated with the pastime. The two most popular groups to wage this battle are Antitauromaquia and StopOurShame.

If you follow our blog with any sort of regularity, you will already know that Don and Donna get a new friend whenever they embark on an adventure. This time was no different. A small kiosk outside the bullring was selling stuffed bulls, so Andy got me one! I knew his name had to be important so I googled bulls that had been pardoned, of which there are few and far between. Turns out the last bull to be pardoned was 6 years ago and was the first bull to be pardoned in Seville for 42 years! His name was Arrojado, who was pardoned in 2010 and now spends his days hanging out in Cadiz. Thus, Don and Donna’s new friend was named.

We ended our afternoon at La Plaza de España, a absolutely gorgeous plaza located in Maria Luisa Park. It was built in 1928 for the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929, a historical expo designed to strengthen Spain’s relationship with world leaders, as well as her former colonies. Countries in attendance included the United States, Cuba, Bolivia, Costa Rica, and the Dominican Republic, among others.

The Maria Luisa Park actually runs the entire southern end of the city and includes a half mile of trees, flowers, bushes, fountains, ponds, benches, and pavillions. It was created in 1911 and contains about 100 acres of beauty, known lovingly as Spain’s “principal green area.”

La Plaza de España was designed by Aníbal González; it is a semi-circular brick cathedral designed with Renaissance and neo-Moorish influences. It has two towers at either end along with a 1,640 foot long canal with four bridges. The Plaza can be accessed through the Teatro Lope de Vega and Fabrica de Tabaco on Avenida Isabella La Catolica. Metro, bus, and tram serve the Prado de San Sebastian entrance on the other side of the plaza. Be sure to check out the 48 alcoves that line the wall of the canal; each one is accompanied by a bench and named for each province of Spain. Don and Donna explored the plaza with their new friend, Arrojado.