Bullfighter

"Matador" redirects here. For other uses, seeMatador (disambiguation).

"Torero" redirects here. For other uses, seeTorero (disambiguation).

For the rodeo performer also called a "bullfighter", seeRodeo clown.For the film, seeBullfighter (film).

Abullfighter(ormatador) is a performer in the activity ofbullfighting.Torero(Spanish:[toˈɾeɾo]) ortoureiro(Portuguese:[toˈɾɐjɾu]), both from Latintaurarius,are the Spanish and Portuguese words for bullfighter, and describe all the performers in the activity ofbullfightingas practised in Spain, Portugal, Mexico, Peru, France, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela and other countries influenced byPortugueseandSpanish culture.The main performer and leader of the entourage in a bullfight, and who finally kills the bull, is addressed asmaestro(master), or with the formal titlematador de toros(killer of bulls). The other bullfighters in the entourage are calledsubalternosand their suits are embroidered in silver as opposed to the matador's gold. They include thepicadores,rejoneadores,andbanderilleros.

A male (left) and female (right) bullfighter demonstrating theSuerte de CapoteofSpanish-style bullfightingin 2019 and 2010, respectively.

Present since the sport's earliest history, the number ofwomen in bullfightinghas steadily increased since the late-19 century, both on foot and on horseback. Usually, toreros start fighting younger bulls (novillosor, more informally in some Latin American countries,vaquillas), and are callednovilleros.Fighting of mature bulls commences only after a special match, called "the Alternative". At this same bullfight, thenovillero(junior bullfighter) is presented to the crowd as amatador de toros.

History

Main article:Bullfighting § History

Bullfighting on foot became a means for poor, able-bodied men to escape poverty and achieve fame and fortune, similar to the role ofboxingin other countries; this is reflected in the Spanish sayingMás cornadas da el hambre.( "Hunger gives more gorings." ).Another frequent case for bullfighters is to be born in a family of bullfighters.

In English, atorerois sometimes referred to by the termtoreador,which was popularized byGeorges Bizetin his operaCarmen.In Spanish, the word designates bullfighters on horseback,but is little used today, having been almost entirely displaced byrejoneador.Bullfighting, historically, started more with nobles upon horseback, all lancing bulls with accompanying commoners on foot doing helper jobs. As time went by, the work of the commoners on foot gained in importance up to the point whereupon they became the main and only act. Bullfighting on horseback became a separate and distinct act called "rejoneo"which is still performed, although less often.

The established term,Maletillaorespontáneo,is attributed to those who illegally jump into the ring and attempt to bullfight for their sake and glory. While the practice itself is widely despised by many spectators and fans alike, it is often claimed that some bullfighters started their careers in this way,El Cordobésbeing one of them.

Types

Matador de toros

Early 20th-century photograph of a matador, showing traditional outfit in 1935.

Joselito and Belmonte

Manolete

Amatador de toros(lit. "killer of bulls", fromLatinmactator,killer, slayer, frommactare,to slay) is considered to be both an artist and an athlete, possessing agility and coordination. One of the earliest matadors wasJuan Belmonte(1892–1962), whose technique in the ring fundamentally changed bullfighting and remains an established standard by which bullfighters are judged byaficionados.The style of the matador was regarded as being equally important, whether he kills the bull or not. The more successfulmatadoreswere treated likerock stars,with comparable financial incomes, cult followings and accompanied bytabloid storiesabout their romantic conquests with women.

The danger associated with bullfighting added to the matador's performance; they are regularly injured by bulls and, concurrently, 533 professional bullfighters have been killed in the arena since 1700.Spanish bullfighterManoletedied from an injury in 1947. MatadorIván Fandiñodied on 17 June 2017 at theArènes Maurice-LaucheinAire-sur-l'Adour,France, from a similar bullfighting injury.This hazard is said to be central to the nature and appeal of bullfighting.

The American writerErnest Hemingwaywas a bullfighting aficionado.In his 1926 fictional work,The Sun Also Rises,the main storyline features a matador and scenes of bullfighting, as do his short storiesThe Capital of the WorldandThe Undefeated.Outside of fiction, he also wrote at length on the subject inDeath in the Afternoon(1932) andThe Dangerous Summer(1959).

In 1962, Hollywood producerDavid WolperproducedThe Story of a Matador,documenting what it was like to be a matador.In this case, it was the MatadorJaime Bravo.

Picador

Main article:Picador

Apicadoron horseback lancing the bull, 2010.

A picador is a bullfighter who uses a speciallancecalledpicawhile on horseback to test the bull's strength and to provide clues to the matador on which side the bull is favoring. They perform in the tercio de varas which is the first of the three stages in aSpanish bullfight.The shape of the lance or pica is regulated by Spanish law to prevent serious injury to the bull, which was viewed as unfair cheating in the past. The bull will charge the horses in the ring and, at the moments prior to contact, the picador lances the bull in a large muscle at the back of the neck; thus begins the work of lowering his head. The picador continues to stab at the bull's neck, leading to the animal's first major loss of blood. During this time, the bull's injured nape willfatigue—however, as a result of the enraged bull charging, the picador's horse will tussle with avoiding the bull throes at trying to lift the horse with its horns.The enduring loss of blood and exertion gradually weakens the bull further and makes it ready for the next stage.

In order to protect the horse from the bull's horns, the horse is surrounded by a 'peto' – a mattress-like protection. Prior to 1928, horses did not wear any protection and a bull would frequently disembowel the opposing horse during this vulnerable stage.

Banderillero

Abanderillerodirection towards a bull, 2018.

Thebanderillerois a torero who plants thebanderillas(lit. little flags). These are colorful sticks, usually colored with the flag of the banderillero's birthplace, with a barbed point which are increasingly placed in the top of the bull's shoulder to weaken it. Banderilleros attempt to place the sticks while running as close to the bull as possible. They are judged by the crowd on their form and bravery. Sometimes a matador, who was a particularly skillful banderillero before becoming a matador, will place some banderillas himself. Skilled banderilleros can correct faults in the manner in which the bull charges by lancing the bull in such a way that the bull ceases hooking to one side, and thereby removing a potential source of danger to the matador by limiting the bull's offensive movements.

Costume

Because of the decorations and elaborateness of the costume, the Spanish refer to the torero's outfit astraje de luces,meaning the "suit of lights". Matador costume structure provides great ease of movement.

See also

• Spanish-style bullfighting
• List of bullfighters
• List of female bullfighters
• Banteng

Further reading

• Poon, Wena.Alex y Robert,Salt Publishing, London, 2010. This is a novel about an American teenage girl training as a matador in contemporary Spain.

External links

• "Haunted By The Horns",(2006) An ESPN online article about Matador Alejandro Amaya and MatadorEloy Cavazos.The article investigates why a matador chooses their profession.
• Female Matadors: A Fierce BeautyArchived26 December 2011 at theWayback Machine– slideshow byLife magazine
• Spanish fan with matador illustration, 1887, in the Staten Island Historical Society Online Collections Database