Spain

Impact on the World

Bullfighting originated in Spain. However, many years ago, as the popularity of bullfighting grew, so did its influence on other countries and people. Despite its Spanish origin, bullfighting has become very popular in many Latin American countries, including Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela, Peru, Ecuador. It has also spread to various European countries, primarily France.

Many people do not tend to consider the incredible impact that bullfighting has made on many artists throughout Europe, especially in painters like Picasso and Goya. Bullfighting can also be seen in the works of Hemingway and other famous writers. Because of the great impact that bullfighting had on people like these, the rest of the world could understand what an important symbol it has become and how it has become iconic to the Spanish people.

(The picture to the right is a French bullfighter)

Motivo de Elección

• Hemos elegido este tema porque era un sujeto que aprendimos en la clase. El toreo ha estado alrededor durante años y ha tenido un impacto enorme a la cultura española. Desde entonces, el toreo ha influido en ciertos aspectos de la cultura americana. Aunque el toreo no sea lo mismo en la cultura americana, hay semejanzas. Como un grupo, quisimos ampliar nuestro conocimiento del sujeto y aprender la información más interesante.

Cultural Comparisons

The United States vs. Spain

• In the United States, there is an alternative to bullfighting known as "Rodeo" which is very similar however there are distinct differences. In Spain, the main goal of a bullfight is to kill the bull before the bull has a chance to kill you. Metadors are the men who attract the bulls with bright red flags and position the bull in a position that will allow them to stab the bull and kill it with the assistance of picadors. However, in the United States, a Rodeo has a different goal. A rodeo consist of cowboys who come together and do contests determining who is the best bull rider. While in the pit, "Rodeo Clowns" and "Bullfighters" similar to metados distract the bull by drawing attention to themselves however they do not kill or harm the bull. The main goal of a Rodeo is to see what cowboy can stay on top of a bull the longest by holding on with one hand.

Conclusions

Bull fighting has been around since ancient day surving many centuries of ridicule. Since the beginning days of bullfighting, bull fighting has contributed greatly to the culture of Spain, forever impacting it. Despite the negative feedback Spain has received for the killing of bulls, it is considered an art in their culture. Bullfighting contributes greatly to the aspects of tradition in the Spainish culture and would be fairly different without it. Due to it's popularity and large association with the Spainish culture, many people travel from far away just to experience the feeling of being in the arena to get a sense of how much the art of bullfighting means to Spainiards.

History of Bullfighting

Bullfighting has been a part of Spanish culture for hundreds of years. It dates so far back that archaeologists have discovered walls painted to depict bullfights that took place in 2000 BC in Crete. However, the first historic bullfight, corrida, took place in Vera, in 1133, in honor of the coronation of king Alfonso VIII. Since then, bullfighting has become an iconic symbol of the Spanish culture. Over the years, the art of bullfighting has been transformed, altered, and changed in many ways. However, it still remains one of the most popular pastimes and forms of art throughout the Spanish culture.

Important Contributions

Works Cited

"Bullfighting : Humane Society International." RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Apr. 2016.

"Bullfighting VS. Rodeos." Extreme Sports. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Apr. 2016.

Conrad, Barnaby. "Bullfighting." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 12 Apr. 2016.

"From Bullfighting To Rodeos: Culture Shock In Spain." NPR. NPR, n.d. Web. 12 Apr. 2016.

Bullfighting is considered Spain’s "National Fiesta" and is a very popular activity in the heartland. The tradition of bullfighting in and around Barcelona has become apart of the culture and become a very common asset to the country. Each year bullfighting activities attract thousands of tourists. The total number of people watching bulfights in Spain reaches an astounding one million every year. As many a 16 festivals are held each year to honor the art of Bullfighting. These bullfighting festivals usually run for one or to weeks and have bullfights almost every day during the festival. The most famous of the festivals however is the Pamplona Running of the Bulls at the San Fermin festival which takes place in July.

Spain

Bullfighting

By: Skyler Giolitti, Reagan Autry, Madalyn Robinette