My wanderings around Madrid brought me to the Plaza de Toros at Las Ventas to the east of the city centre. Here stands the second largest bullring in the world after Mexico City. The bullring is an impressive brick building.
Despite the controversy that surrounds bullfights, I wanted to experience the event and my luck was in - there was a corrida (bullfight) on Sunday evening, so I bought a ticket for sol y sombra (sun and shade) for £10. The seat prices vary from £2 up to exorbitant rates for the best seats in the house.
There is an air of excitement and expectation amongst the aficionados within the bullring as the warm evening sun casts a shadow across half the arena. At 6pm one of the bands strikes up as the procession enters the ring, the formal beginning of the corrida.
Two algauziles (constables) on horseback lead out the three matadores and their personal teams, and the mule teams, whereupon they are presented to the audience and the president or guest of honour.
The first bull is then released into the ring, amidst fanfare and chatter from the crowd. For a few minutes the matador and his banderilleros test the bull's spirit, using pink and gold capes. Then begins the suerte de picar, as two picadores ride out to opposite sides of the ring. The bull is driven to charge the mounted picadores, and as it does so, they drive a short lance into its powerful neck, weakening the bull as it rams into the padding protecting the horses.
Next comes the suerte de banderillas, the banderilleros taking the attention of the bull, the two running towards each other. As the bull approaches, the banderillero steps aside and attempts to place banderillas (barbed coloured sticks) in the bull's shoulders.
At this point the matador is left alone with the bull. The final part of the fight begins - the suerte de matar, which lasts around 10 minutes. The matador takes a red cape and salutes the president, dedicating the fight to an individual to whom he gives his hat, or to the whole audience by throwing his hat to the centre of the ring. The bull is now tiring rapidly, bleeding from the various wounds inflicted upon it. The matador now demonstrates his skill, causing the bull to charge by moving the red cape, but keeping his body still.
The moments leading up to the kill are very tense. If the matador shows high skill, the crowd start the infamous shout, "Ole, Ole!", at each pass. But a matador who does not satisfy the crowd is treated almost with scorn, as people stand up and voice their displeasure, much to the amusement of those surrounding them. Finally he must kill the bull by driving a sword through its shoulders to the heart, a difficult task against the charging bull. Often a banderillero will discretely finish the bloodied beast. The mule teams then drag the dead bull from the arena.
A corrida has six fights lasting around 20 minutes each. Each fight follows the same routine, and after the fourth fight, I found my attention wandering. But the final fight saw a terrific performance from the matador, inspiring the crowd to great excitement. Suddenly I understood why Spanish people of all ages, men and women, are drawn to watch these events. The atmosphere was incredible, and became electric when the bull jumped up against the protective fence around the ring's edges. The matador was cheered to the rafters and the dead bull applauded as it was dragged out, sending the aficionados home happy.