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The bull fight has been a representative part of Spanish culture for years. Long considered an art by its many followers, the origins of this event lie in the ancient Iberian people who sacrificed bulls in religious holocaustic rituals in public spectacles. The origin of the shape and form of the bull ring could come from the ancient Roman circus although Celtic-Iberian temples also had a circular form. More about the origins of bullfighting : http://www.red2000.com/spain/toros/1index.html

The bullfight as it is known and enjoyed today began to take place in the 18th century and Francisco Romero was the first bullfighter to give organization to the celebration of a bull fight and is the creator of the current “muleta”.www.portaltaurino.com/matadores/fco_romero.htm

But the true protagonist is the “toro”, whose ancestors have become extinct in the regions they inhabited except for the Iberian peninsula where it survived due to the bullfighting tradition. This animal has always been a symbol of strength.

	The bull fight begins with a sort of parade of the participants around the bull ring, this is called el paseíllo. The fight is divided in three parts which are called tercios. There are marked by un toque de clarín or a trumpet sounding. In the first tercio the picadores appear on horseback and injure the bull with long pointy spear like lances.

In the second tercio the banderilleros place three pairs of colored banerillas on the animals back injuring the bull with the pointed ends.
In the third tercio, or suerte suprema, the bullfighter uses the small red cape, or muleta, substituting the pink and yellow capote used throughout the fight, finishing off the festival of the bullfight with the definitive sword thrust into the bull thus killing the animal. If he does it right it goes directly into the heart of the bull and he dies instantly.

If the public feels the torero did a good job, he will get one ear, both ears or both ears and the tail as a prize, depending upon the grade of perfection demonstrated. The president will take into account the public opinion, but it is he who decides the corresponding trophy. The public indicates its appreciation by waving white handkerchiefs.

To become familiar with the different types of passes, as well as the different participants in a bullfight or the characteristic language of the handkerchief, you can visit one of these pages which also will decipher the  different functions of los alguacilillos, el chulo de chiqueros, los monosabios, los mulilleros, el puntillero, los areneros, la cuadrilla, los picadores, los banderilleros o el mozo de espadas.

Other interesting information about entrance tickets, coming events, figures of the bullfighting world, as well as images of bullfights, are available here: