After 8 weeks in Sevilla, it was finally time to visit Plaza Del Toro, Sevilla´s bullring. James Michener in his book Íberia´ wrote that Sevilla had one of the finest bullrings in Spain. I have to agree that it is majestic and very beautiful, but I haven´t actually seen any others. I have never been to a bullfight and also, I have never had for a moment, any reservations about going.
The way I see it is, this is very much part of Spanish culture and has been for a very long time. It´s also very much part of the life of Sevilla and it´s not for me to judge or condone. Many friends asked me before I came to Sevilla if I would attend a bullfight. I said I absolutely would. Some were horrified of course and that´s fine. Let me indulge myself here for a moment. I have a creative mind, that´s what I do. I have to look at the whole picture and not just the slaughter of a defenseless animal.
It´s Sunday afternoon, warm and dry as Sevilla tends to be. A quick stop at a taverna for some wine and a rundown from Sean (seasoned attendee and local artist) of what to expect. ¨Did you bring a cigar?¨he asked me. Important to smoke a havana cigar, part of the culture. You could of course go the whole way and get a panama hat and a crumpled old linen suit ala Graeme Greene, but the cigar would suffice. We joined the crowd around one of the many gates that lead into Plaza Del Toro. You could feel the anticipation. This is mostly about the expectations of the crowd as to the skill of the matador and the bravery of the bull. Let me compare this to the Roman Coliseum for a moment. The crowd are ruthless, they are here for a show of bravery and skill not only on the part of the matador, but also on the bull. Mistakes and showmanship are not applauded, but punished and heckled. Inside, the arena is quite magnificent. Ancient architecture and hard concrete seats. The crowd waits patiently in the afternoon sun. The sand of the arena is a bright golden colour, smooth and flat awaiting the entrance of the bull.
This is how it works. There are five fights in all, or five bulls. The bulls weigh between 450kgs and 550kgs. They spend five years in the pastures grazing on the finest grass and are raised specifically for their 20 minutes in the bullring. First the five or six bullfighters come out, they are not the main matador who will fight the bull, but their task seems to be to get the bull angry, as if he isn´t already. They spread themselves around the ring and wait beside their protective barriers for the bull to enter the arena. Suddenly, the band kicks in with a deafening crashendo and the bull comes running into the arena. Big, black and angry and heads for the first man in pink tights her sees. They take turns with the bull for ten minutes or so to the enjoyment of the crowd until the band starts up again. (You can skip the next bit if you are a bit squeamish) Two picadores on horseback enter the arena with long pointed lances and march around the ring. The bull sees another animal and races towards it. The horses are armoured as you can see from the photos and safe from the bull, but the bull isn´t safe from the lance as the picadore pierces its back. This is to weaken the bull and prepare it for the fight. The picadores leave the arena and the matador enters with short feathered pointed sticks. I know, poor description but thats what they look like. Two at a time he stabs the bull in the spine as it charges him till he has six spikes in the bulls back. Then he gets his red cape and the fight begins.
As I mentioned earlier, showmanship to a degree is expected but not encouraged. The matadores look resplendant in their outfits and certainly are befitting of the splendour. They tease and play the bull for about ten minutes or until the crowd gets bored and then it´s time for the kill. He takes his sword, raises it in the air and to the approval of the crowd, awaits the bulls next charge and as he passes, drives the sword right to its hilt into the bull. Death comes quickly, the crowd will either applaud or boo the matador and the hooves of the butchers horses are heard entering the arena and the bull is dragged out, sliced up and sold in the butcher shops around the city the next day.
And so this continued for four more bulls with varying degrees of bravado, one matador tossed, many boo´d and the crowd leave the arena somewhat unhappy with the event. Some agreed the bulls were a bit slow, others blamed the matador. I´m not really sure how I felt about the whole thing. I´ve still to make my mind up. It was exciting, shocking and a spectacle all at once. I´m going again this coming Sunday when the new up and coming apprentices try their hand. Apparently the bulls have a better chance. I will let you know how it goes.
Patrick
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