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Juli is a young español bullfighter that started his career around the age of 12. As you read through this presentation, take notes on the worksheet and upload your completed answers. Also, to review your vocabulary, answer the question: ¿Dónde está Juli? in each slide. You answers can be in relation to the bull, the arena, his assistants, or anything else you can imagine. Try to use at least 5 different sentences for each page and try to use ALL your vocab. You can check them off or tally them as you use them. The more you use your vocab, the easier it will get for you!

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It is believed that bulls charge the color red, but this is false. They actually charge anything moving! So, the next time you find yourself in an open field with a bull, stand still and make small movements toward the fence, right? Well, personally I’d run like crazy yelling “every man for himself!” Seriously though, it’s the movement, not the color that makes bulls charge. This is why you will often see the matador or his banderilleros (explained later) make jerking movements to get the bull to charge. There are breeding ranches that breed bulls to be more aggressive. When a bull enters the ring, it’s his first experience with a man on foot. There are unmounted horses that know how to corral the bulls. They are also wearing different bells around their necks so that when the hear a certain bell, everyone in the group knows where they’re supposed to be. These horses are brought into the arena to help guide a skiddish bull out of the arena, if necessary.

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A bullfighter will use a variety of capes throughout the corrida de toros. A large one is used first and he may change capes periodically throughout until finally using the smallest one, which is used for the final kill. Permission must be granted by the alcalde (literally, mayor, who presides over the bullfight and sits at a place of honor throughout the exhibition) before the bull may be killed. There are three tercios to the bullfight and the alcalde is the one who allows the next tercio to continue. There is distinguishable music played during each tercio of the bullfight. Likewise unique events take place during tercio.

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When a bull first enters the ring, he is the most dangerous. He is used to the wide-open pasture and is confused with his new surroundings. He desperately searches for a way out. One of the bullfighter’s assistants will make some large passes with the bull as the matador observes the specific characteristics of the bull. Does he make unique throws with his head? More to the left or the right? Does he run hard and twist his head at the last second? See the guys lined up in the behind the barrier in the red caps? These are the “pooper scoopers” who clean up the arena after each bull. After the bull is dragged from the arena, they throw additional dirt/sand over blood spills and rake over the area to smooth it out again. This is done each time a bull is killed.

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If the audience continues to cheer and shout Olé after the bullfight is completed because of extreme bravery shown by the matador, the alcalde (mayor) may grant a trophy: 1 ear, 2 ears, or the tail of the bull for a perfect performance. Spectators also throw flowers and other objects to their favorite matador.

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The arena seen here in Madrid, Spain is named Las Ventas, which holds 25,000 people. It is the oldest and largest bullfight arena in the world. The Plaza Mayor, the central plaza in Madrid, originally held bullfights, but is now a center of commercial and social events. Above the Plaza are apartments that quite pricy to rent. There are four entrances to the Plaza that lead to the four directions of the city. Notice Juli’s uniform. This is called a suit of lights. The more experienced a matador is, the most elegant his traje de luces becomes, reaching into the thousands of dollars! As you read through these pages and look at Juli’s different trajes, you can probably identify which ones were taken earlier in his career and which ones were taken later as his popularity rose. Check out the last page for a website to purchase your own.

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A great paso is made when a bull comes dangerously close to the toreador. He stands erect and quiet, allowing the bull to pass within inches or skimming his traje de luces. If a toreador becomes really good, he will stand in front of the bull, turn his back and walk in the opposite direction. Having complete control of the bull and total confidence in what he will do is the only way to perform this feat. Another way that a toreador will show his bravery is to do a pass while kneeling on the ground. It’s much more difficult to run if one is kneeling than standing!

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The hat that Juli is wearing is the traditional toreador hat. They also wear a long, thin ponytail in the back of their head at the bottom. The more experienced the toreador is, the longer his ponytail. Nowadays, there is a fake one attached to the hat…cheeters!

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The banderilleros are the the matador’s assistants who place the banderillas, three sets of decorative sticks placed in the bulls shoulder muscles, meant to weaken the muscles so that he charges with a lowered head. The first set placed is the shortest and the next two are progressively longer to reach over the previously placed banderillas. Sometimes the bullfighter will choose to place his own banderillas, but it is most common to have the banderilleros do it for him. After all, that’s what they’re paid to do! Another assistant, the picador, also has the job of weakening the bull’s shoulder muscles as well as enraging the bull. The picador is riding on horseback and wears a wide brimmed hat with a light brown suit. The horse and the picador’s leg are heavily padded. The bull’s horns are strong enough to pick up a soccer mom’s van with the team inside or a small bus! As the bull charges the blind-folded horse (well, would you stand there and let a bull ram you?), the picador stabs the bull’s shoulder muscles with a long pointed lance. If the picador “damages” the bull by too much blood-shed, the audience will whistle, showing signs of disapproval.

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This is an excellent pass by Juli! He is standing tall, not reaching out toward the bull, but rather allowing the bull to pass right beside him, even touch him. Notice how he has even extended his midsection. This is why the traje de luces is form-fitting. Chicos, how many of you would be extending that part of yourself to that much danger!? The cape often is twirled and sometimes gets wrapped around the toreador at the end of the pass as he awaits another paso from the toro. Notice the sign above Juli’s head. This is the sign that is presented to the espectadores before the bull first enters the ring. If I have a job at the bullfight, I want that one: in the ring without a bull! The sign announces the breading ranch, ranch colors, breader’s sign, as well as the age and weight of the bull.

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You can see from this picture the banderillas in the bull’s shoulders. Yes, that is real blood from the bull, probably from the picador at the beginning of the bullfight. Often times they fall out during passes, when the bull runs violently into the barrier surroundong the arena, or just from running during the exhibition due to poor placement. The bull occasionally gets and attacks the cape from the matador. This is when one of his assistants (you can see them behind this barrier at the top of the picture ready to jump out and help him if he were to be gored, thrown, or somehow placed in too much danger from the bull) will hand him another cape. I have seen videos where the bull has jumped the barrier (up to 5 1/2 feet tall!) and into the stands. I have witnessed a bull jump sideways at the barrier and slide across the top of the barrier. It is quite scary as there are numerous employees and media personnel directly behind the barrier. There is another, taller barrier in front of the spectators and behind the arena barrier, maybe 12 feet or so separating the two, so the chance of a bull jumping both is quite rare, but it has happened.

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This is a great example of how Juli has so much control over the bull that he is kneeling on one knee while making his paso. Be careful Juli! It looks like the bull has stopped; he may throw his horns at you at any second!

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The banderillas are placed during the first tercio, shortly after the picador does his job. The second tercio is when the toreador is making his dangerously close pasos. The third tercio is the inevitable kill, if lucky the matador kills the toro. OUCH! Watch the horn!

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Juli receives the sword to kill the bull. Again, the cape is typically smaller than the previous capes. You can compare them nicely in this picture. A real sword is hidden beneath the cape and passes are made by the bullfighter to get the bull into the correct position for a “clean kill”. Remember, he must first ask permission from the alcalde to make the kill. If the alcalde waves his white hanky from his balcony or tips his hat or other indicator, he can proceed with the kill; if not, he must continue to make additional passes. A clean kill is when the bull stands with his two front feet together, separating the shoulder blades and the spine. He charges full force toward the matador, one foot in front of the other, the matador “slides” his sword between the shoulder blade and the spine with great force, finding the avenue that leads directly to the heart. If this is done correctly, the bull dies instantly. He may stammer a bit before he dies, but it’s a quick, painless death. If not, he may get whistles and shouts from the spectators showing their disapproval. If too many attempts are made at a kill and audience thinks the animal is suffering unnecessarily or too much, he will be put down by a veterinarian on staff at the bullfight. A dying animal is perhaps the most dangerous. A small-bladed knife is used to sever the spinal chord at the base of the skull and the animal dies instantly. I have personally witnessed this during a bullfight in Mexico City in the mid90s. The novice toreador made about a dozen failed attempts at killing

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This is when the bull first comes out. You know it’s a new bullfight because the largest cape is used, the bull only has a ribbon with the ranch colors on them placed on his back.

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Amazing paso, Juli! There are a total of seven bulls brought to the bullring for each fight. Each bull has a number. Before the bullfight starts, these numbers are put into a hat. The three bullfighters pull out two papers each. These are the bulls they will encounter. The additional bull becomes the spare if a bull is sick or disfunctional due to lack of charging or other reasons. The most novice bullfighter begins the corrida de toros and the most experienced bullfighter fights last. After each bullfighter has performed, the three fight again in the same order. If the spare bull is not used, he is sent to the slaughter house anyway. Arenas do various things with the meat. Some will auction it off to the highest bidder, others give the meat to charities, others will sell it to lockers or other private vendors.

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This photo shows how a matador will walk slowly toward a bull, making jerky movements to get the bull to charge.

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The twirling action of the cape, as described earlier, is best captured in this photo.

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Juli is setting up the bull to be in good position for the kill. Hey bull, nothing to see back here! Fact: All cows will die. A bullfight is said to give the bull an honorable death. Some say it is their chance to kill the one who kills them. It is said to be an art form because the the bull is killed gracefully, with skill in an artistic way. It is fair to mention that not all Spaniards see this as an art form; some animal rights’ activists have been seen outside bullfight arenas worldwide protesting the event. Bullfighting originated in medieval times to fight the arabs who ruled Spain from 711-1492. It was used as training to kill the enemy. They practiced with bulls and fought on horseback. Eventually it evolved to fighting bulls on foot, a more dangerous sport. Equestrian bullfights still take place in some cities today.

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There are often rituals that are performed before and after the bullfight by the toreador. Some of the services provided at the arena include a small chapel for the bullfighter to pray before he enters the ring, a small clinic in case of accidents, and a jail cell for unruly spectators, to name a few. All pictures in this presentation have come from Juli’s official websites. To learn more about bullfighting, check out these websites: http://www.anglophone-direct.com/A-load-of-bull Toroshopping.com supplies for the toreador https://www.toroshopping.com (all in Spanish, but cool bullfight posters!) http://www.mundotoro.com/