¿Ole?

For six weeks each January and February, Bogota holds the Feria Taurina at the Plaza de Toros de Santamaria. Translation: a bullfight festival with six weeks of bullfighting hosting famous matadors from Mexico and Spain.

I had never seen a bullfight. I generally believed that I was against the concept, but also want to be open-minded to other cultures and their traditions. Since I was in Bogota during the six weeks of the festival, I decided that I would go. I’ve long been a believer that I’ll try most things once. That said, I went in assuming this would be my first and last bullfight.

The origin of the bullfight isn’t certain, but it is believed to have originated with the ancient Romans. In “modern” times, it began in Spain in the early 1700’s. Bullfighting has traditionally been popular in Spain, Portugal, France, and many Latin American countries. Although the number of countries that still support the “sport” has dwindled in recent years. It is relatively popular in Colombia where many smaller towns also have bullrings. That said, most Colombians I met have never actually seen a bullfight.

The Plaza de Toros de Santamaria in Bogota was built in 1931 and seats 14,500 people.

The top level of the ring has boxes, not unlike those at stadiums in the US – each with a corporate sponsor where businesses can host their best clients and VIP’s. One box is painted in the colors of the Colombian flag – the President’s box. Not sure who was in the box that day (anyone know what Colombia’s president looks like??).

The bullfight started at 3:30 on a Sunday afternoon. The ring was packed!

There’s a lot of formality to the bullfight. Certain people (in certain clothes) doing certain things at certain times. Lots of pomp and circumstance. At the beginning, the matadors entered the ring accompanied by men on horses and lots of applause!

It's quite a spectacle. The matadors have such colorful outfits (always with pink socks, regardless of the color of the rest of the ensemble). The crowd was very rowdy until the bull entered the ring. Then the spectacle really began.

I learned a lot about bullfights that afternoon. For example, in a Spanish-style bullfight there are three matadors who each fight three bulls. I also learned that there are three parts to each fight. Initially, the matador attempts to learn the mannerisms of the bull, then the bull is injured, and eventually the matador kills the bull. Each fight takes about 30 minutes.

When I first bought a ticket to the bullfight and got to the event, I was really excited about the cool cultural experience that I can’t have in the US. Once the “fight” began, it suddenly occurred to me what I signed up for.

Interestingly, public opinion on bullfights is somewhat mixed. Bullfighting has been banned in several Latin American countries: Uruguay, Argentina, and Cuba. It has also been banned in several parts of Spain: the Canary Islands and Catalonia. There is talk of a ban by the European Union and in the upcoming year there will be a vote in Ecuador to potentially ban bullfighting.

In Bogota, the ring sells out every week. But, each week there is also a protest across the street and groups organizing hoping to put it on the ballot in Colombia.

Fans of the bullfight say it is an art form. That may be true. And after one afternoon, I cannot pretend to be an expert. I would not judge another culture or the traditions it contains. But I can say, now that I have firsthand experience, that this is a tradition I appreciated once but don't need to see again. Ole!

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