Friday, December 2, 2011

Feria de toros (Bull fights)

To start off  Fiestas de Quito, we decided to go to a bullfight. The fiestas are to celebrate the anniversary of the foundation of the capital city, Quito. 

The bullfight was introduced to Ecuador during the spanish conquest. It is said that the bulls have been blessed by various religious missions that populate the Andes . These Cattle are now possessed with fierceness, nobility and casta (genetic purity). these things make the bulls special and it is an honor for them to die in the arena.

This year there is a law banning killing the bulls in the arena. At first you might think that this is a good thing. But as soon as you enter the arena and listen to the fans you know this is terrible. 

What I learned from the girl sitting next to me: When the bulls die in the arena they are given much honor. They are raised to die her and when they do it is beautiful and meaningful. In the old days they used to use the meet from the bull that died to feed the poor. they could cut it and sell it a cheap price. Then there was a law stopping the selling of the meet if the bull was killed outside the arena. (Because of sanitation/health reasons... I didn't understand that part that much.) Now that they cant kill the bull inside the arena the death is less important. people say that the government is taking away the bulls honor. Also they used to kill them in the arena with one swift blow to the neck. Now they give a series of painful electric shocks. And they are messing with tradition!

But we had a great time and got to see some really cool tricks!


Here is a video we took of the bull fighting the horse!
   

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