Spanish-style bullfighting

A staged contest in which a matador confronts a bull on foot in an arena, traditionally killing it with a sword. Its formal sequence combines ritualized passes, mounted work, and a final sword thrust.

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Tercio de varas: The opening stage of a corrida, in which mounted picadors use lances to test and weaken the bull. The first stage establishes how the bull charges and reduces its strength.
Matador: The principal bullfighter who performs the final stage of a corrida on foot. The matador is the central performer named in this form’s defining encounter.
Bull-leaping: An ancient Mediterranean practice in which performers vaulted over charging bulls. It offers an early comparison for staged human encounters with bulls, though not a direct origin.
Pedro Romero: An influential eighteenth-century Spanish matador associated with the early development of modern bullfighting. His career helped establish the prestige of the matador on foot.
Animal rights movement: A social movement advocating moral and legal consideration for animals and opposing their exploitation. Its arguments underpin organized opposition to killing bulls for entertainment.
Tercio de banderillas: The middle stage of a corrida, when banderilleros place decorated barbed sticks in the bull’s shoulders. Banderilleros further test the bull before the matador takes over.
Picador: A mounted bullfighter who uses a lance during the opening stage of a corrida. Picadors shape the bull’s condition before the matador’s performance.
Roman bullfighting: Bull spectacles in the Roman world, often staged as part of public entertainments. Roman spectacles show an older tradition of presenting bulls before crowds.
Juan Belmonte: A Spanish matador whose close, comparatively still style transformed bullfighting in the early twentieth century. His technique changed expectations for how a matador could face a bull.
Bullfighting bans: Legal prohibitions or restrictions on bullfighting adopted by governments and jurisdictions. These laws show how public opposition has altered the corrida’s legal status.