Berkley Center

The most I had ever considered la corrida de toros (running of the bulls) before arriving in Spain was graded debates in Spanish class where I was given a side to defend. I understood the basis behind each side—tradition and culture, and animal rights—but I had never had to truly pick a side. Before leaving the United States, a friend asked if I would consider going to a corrida and I was at a loss. While I like to consider myself culturally tolerant and curious, I also have a moderate meat intolerance from not eating meat for sustainability reasons. Again, I put off the question.

A few weeks into the program we went on a group trip to Salamanca, Spain and visited a finca (farm) where both cows for meat and toros for the corrida are raised. At the finca we learned about how the toros are bred and raised and all the work that goes into ensuring they are perfect for the corrida. First off, the mothers are selected based on their temperament; they must be valiant or they will not birth suitable toros. Only a small percentage of the mothers tested by corrida officials are selected. They are then mated with toros who performed so well in the plaza de toros that they were spared their lives in order to breed the best young toros.

Once the toros are born (at a very specific time of the year to ensure they will be ready for the peak season) they are treated like kings for the first 4 to 5 years of their lives. They roam open fields with plenty of space and are fed grains. This is incredible when contrasted with the lives of most meat and dairy cows. One of the breeders at the finca asked us if we think it is better to live a fairly arduous life to be killed relatively humanely than to live a fantastic life up until a traumatic 20 to 30 final minutes. I am still not sure that I have a good or reasonable answer to that. The breeder also told us that once a toro goes into the plaza he must be killed by law for safety reasons related to the fact that the he has now learned dangerous habits from his experience. This applies to toros who do not make it throughout the entire corrida because they are not valiant enough. The only exceptions are toros pulled out of the plaza for breeding purposes. Furthermore, after the corrida, the toros are butchered and their meat is eaten as a delicacy (apparently although it is tough it is very flavorful). This made me feel as though the whole thing was much less of a waste. I left the finca interested in the corrida but still without having to make any firm decision as to my position on the issue.

A few weeks later, I was given the opportunity to see the toros for free. I decided to go, just this once. While I had my doubts, my host mother goes regularly and insisted it was something romantic and beautiful I needed to experience before leaving Spain. So I showed up to the Ventas plaza, a beautiful stadium made of various colors of brick with food vendors selling an assortment of brightly colored snacks, feeling terrified and doubtful. Thankfully I was not alone; I had three other Georgetown students and two Spanish mentors and some friends to accompany me. To my surprise, the two mentors had never seen the toros themselves, and I soon understood why. The toros are very controversial among younger Spaniards, and the majority of the audience was older people dressed as if they were attending the theater. Luckily, I sat between a mentor who had never gone, with whom I could share my fear and confusion, and her friend who had been five times and could answer our questions. She explained to us that the corrida happens in three distinct stages, developing a complicated relationship between toreador (bull fighter) and toro.

As I had been told, after giving it a chance I could clearly see how when executed properly the final dance could be considered romantic or beautiful. While it was never easy to watch, it was fascinating. In the end, I would describe my experience as interesting in every sense. I cannot say that I enjoyed it, but I can appreciate the cultural merit of the corrida. I am glad I explored the tradition a little further, just this once.