I once read a book about a young boy living in the shadows of his champion bullfighting father who died in the ring after a valiant Bullfight. Though I don't recall the name of the book right off, I remember learning about the sport of bullfighting and the heroic character not only of the Matadors but the Bulls themselves.
If ever there was courage and honor being displayed in a ring of competition, bullfighting is it. The Matador enters the ring with nothing more than his courage, his red cape and his graceful skill of doing battle against a stronger opponent.
The Bull and Matador respect each other's strengths as they perform what appears to be a dance to the death. They circle each other around the ring looking for a weakness to exploit in their deadly opponent. Spaniards understand this dance as a battle of wits between man and animal. And they cheer for both the Bull and the Matador. Bullfighting is strongly ingrained in the culture of Spain and Mexico.
Without ever witnessing firsthand a live Bullfight, I am left with only stories and an imagination of what the experience of watching a Bullfight must feel like. It sounds so much like a boxing match, only there's no referee and no weight class. Bullfighting is considered an art form by those who follow it.
The Bull who won this weekend's match in Aguascalientas, Mexico, weighed 1,100 pounds. He goes by the name of Navegante, which in Spanish translates to "navigator in charge; seafarer in charge of ship."
Navegante, won his battle of wits against Matador Jose Tomas with a piercing horn gouge to the groin, but not after the Matador had caused blood to flow from the back of Navegante. There is no word on the condition of the bloodied Bull Navegante.
Tomas, a top Matador known for his daring Bullfighting style, has suffered from the piercings of Bull horns in past matches, but none quite so severe. As of today it looks as if he'll survive this one as well. OLE! (Oh lay)
former quote of Tomas the Bullfighter:
"Living without Bullfighting is not living."
"Living without Bullfighting is not living."
