Spain - Bullfighting
Final Third (Tercio)

Tercio de Muerte

In Spain, bullfighting follows the same pattern, starting with the tercio de varas, then the tercio de banderillas and, finally, the tercio de muerte.

The tercio de muerte is the most exciting stage of the corrida because the matador faces the bull on his own. But it's also the most dangerous one...

The bull charges against the matador, photo by Rufino Lasaosa

La suerte de muleta or faena

Once the tercio de banderillas ends, the matador enters the arena alone. He carries with him a red cape called muleta, and a sword (estoque). By placing the sword behind the muleta, the matador uses it to entice the bull and to provoke it to charge.

The faena (job) or performance with the muleta is very visual. It's divided into a series of pases (tandas). A regular tanda is composed by 5-6 pases and then a final touch, or remate, the most common one being the pass de pecho. Ask your neighbor so that you can recognize it

With the faena, the matador proves to the audience and himself 3 virtues:

• His art, by entertaining the crowd with difficult and expressive pases.
• His superiority, by dominating the bull and, thus, the fight.
• And his courage, by risking his life while getting especially close to the bull.

The torero facing the bull with his muleta, photo by Rufino Lasaosa

In Spain, bullfighting is a spectacle full of emotions. You will notice immediately if the audience is particularly thrilled and impressed by the torero's pases and his ability to lead the fight, because people will shout "ole!" and applaud at the end of each tanda.

Depending on the success of his performance and the bull's remaining energy, the matador will end his faena sooner or later. At this point, he makes a final tanda and leads the bull towards the wooden fence. His aim is to position the bull and stab it to death.

La estocada

The estocada is the act of stabbing the bull to death. It's the most difficult task the matador faces in a corrida for 2 reasons:

• He needs to kill the bull with a very precise technique to avoid being gored by the horns and,
• The audience requires for the bull a quick and clean death in respect for his fighting spirit.

In Spain, bullfighting often requires silence. Therefore, remain quiet as the rest of the crowd will, while the matador prepares for the estocada.

The torero performing the estocada, photo by Neil Edde

Unfortunately, if the matador fails, the crowd will protest fiercely and even if the whole faena was perfect, this finale ruined it completely. He may decide to try it again but the audience will barely pay attention: it's a one-chance game.

If the bull is still alive, the matador has to perform the descabello (act of cutting the bull's spinal cord) with a different sword in order to spare the animal pain.

But if the estocada is perfect, the bull will die within minutes and the matador will be considered a hero and awarded consequently as you'll see later on.

Once the bull is dead, its body is dragged out of the arena by the mules you saw during the paseillo. If the audience is impressed by the performance of the bull, people will applaud as it abandons the ring.

Los trofeos

The awards, or trofeos, indicate that the matador has achieved a successful faena. There are 3 ways in which the torero is awarded:

• The audience demands the matador to take a lap of victory around the arena. This is called dar la vuelta al ruedo.
• Eventually, if his faena and estocada was exceptional, the spectators can petition the presidente to award him an ear. He will do so if at least half of the crowd is waving a white handkerchief.
• But the final call depends on the presidente who will decide on his own to award the torero a second ear and even the tail, which is the highest trophy!

The torero after being awarded two ears, photo by Rufino Lasaosa

At the end of the corrida, while the band plays a pasodoble, the successful matador who got at least 2 ears is given the permission to leave the plaza carried on the shoulders of an admirer. It's called salida a hombros (exit on shoulders), and in Spain, bullfighting experts consider it the highest recognition a torero can have.

In Seville, however, the matador is carried on the shoulders only if he is awarded with at least 3 ears (it can be 1 from his first bull and 2 from the second or vice versa).

The salida a hombros means that the torero exits through the plaza's most important gate (e.g. the Puerta Grande or Big Gate in Madrid, or the Puerta del Principe or Prince's Gate in Seville).

The torero carried on shoulders, photo by Rufino Lasaosa

You may be interested on how to buy bullfight tickets.

Additionally, if you'll be in Seville during the Feria de Abril, you can have a look at the official bullfighting schedule.

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