Origins of Corrida de Toros
Bull fighting (Corrida de toros in Spanish) in Spain seems
to have its origins during the 8 long centuries of the
Spanish War of Reconquest (711-1492 A.D.) when the
knights of both the Moors and Christians would organize
hunting competitions as a respite from killing each other
and they soon realized that of all the prey the Iberian
bull offered the greatest challenge as unlike other
animals it preferred
to die fighting
rather than fleeing.
It seems probable
that a nobleman
captured a few of
these brave beasts
and took them to
his village in order
to recreate the thrill
of the hunt before
his admiring
subjects. Thus
some remote part of Medieval Spain saw the origins of
what is today the national Spanish spectacle of bull
fighting.
The history of bull fighting recalls that the first real
bullfight, or corrida, took place in 1133 at Vera, Logroño
in honour of the coronation of King Alfonso VIII. From
then on they became a popular pass time at many
important events and continued after the wars of
reconquest had finished offering noblemen an outlet to
demonstrate the zeal and daring with which he defeated
the Moors.
King Philip II however found the spectacle disgusting and
enlisted the help of Pope Pius V to get it banned by papel
decree. This, together with the growing pleasures to be
had at the royal court, resulted in the nobility giving up
their interest in bull fighting but not so the peasantry
who took it enthusiastically to heart and it thus became a
symbol of something genuinely panish.
Bulls also played an important role in the religious
ceremonies of the Iberian tribes living in Spain in
prehistoric times. The origins of the plaza de toros
(bullring) are probably not the Roman amphitheatres but
rather the Celtic-Iberian temples where those
ceremonies were held. Near Numancia in the province of
Soria one of them has survived, and it is supposed that
bulls were sacrificed to the gods there.
While religious bull cults go back to Iberians, it was
Greek and Roman influences that converted it into a
spectacle. During the Middle Ages it was a diversion for
the aristocracy to torear on horseback-a style known as
suerte de cañas.
In the 18th century this tradition was more or less
abandoned and the poorer population invented bull
fighting on foot. Francisco Romero was a key figure in
laying down the rules for the new sport
By 1726 they were ready to adopt their first bull fighting
hero in the form of Francisco Romero from Ronda. He
was a man of humble origins who became the first
professional bullfighter in Spain. With him the corrida
developed into more of an art form. He introduced the
estoque, sword, and the muleta, the small cape used in
the last part of the fight as it is more easily wielded.
Bull fighting is certainly one of the best-known-although
at the same time most controversial-Spanish popular
customs. This Fiesta could not exist without the toro
bravo, a species of bull of an ancient race that is only
conserved in Spain. Formerly this bull's forebears, the
primitive urus, were spread out over wide areas of the
world. Many civilizations revered them; the bull cults on
the Greek island of Crete are very well known. The Bible
tells of sacrifices of bulls in honour of divine justice.
Version 12.4.3.s 10 September 2018
