Traditions Die Hard

Many years ago, when first traveling in South America, I visited Lima, Peru. It was a fascinating place, due to the historical juxtaposition of Spanish colonial history, indigenous traditions (and people), and of course the ever-present yet incongruous influence of "western" culture (Coca Cola, etc.).

By a serendipitous turn of events, my companions and I found ourselves touring the most famous bull fighting plaza in the country, the Plaza de Acho. As luck would have it, the place was empty, since our visit was many months in advance of the temporada, the season when Spanish and Latin American matadores perform in this centuries-old tradition of tauromaquia.

Our guide allowed us to descend from the seating area of this circular arena, down to the ring itself, where we stood on the sand that serves both bull and bull fighter in this historic and artistic ritual of bravery and sacrifice. With the Peruvian sun shining brightly upon us, we imagined how it must be to see the gate (la puerta del toril) open, and the fresh fighting animal --- raised exclusively for this moment --- come dashing into the ring, seeking to dominate and defend against anything or anyone that might challenge his supremacy.

Having seen bull fights in many famous cities of Spain and Latin America, I must tell you that the art of the fiesta brava is something that has to be learned about. There is a culture and history of this passionate art form, and it is something that escapes many who see only a spectacle of blood and sand. By reading and observing all the elements of this ritual, one becomes more respectful of the bravery and skill that it takes for a single man to face a thundering beast weighing more than half a ton, alone with just a cape in the middle of a ring. To do it successfully, while also showing mastery of the cape, the banderillas and finally the sword and muleta, in all the various moves and classical passes that dominate the fighting animal, is to show what it means to be a matador.

In today's politically correct world, even traditions that are hundreds of years old, and have shown through the ages that they express something ethereal and artistic, are under siege. Even in a city and culture as traditional as Lima, Peru's there are those who would protest and put a stop to this tradition. Let's hope that the world in all of its unique traditions does not become one homogenized culture that eliminates every single tradition, just for the sake of political correctness. Let's hope that traditions as skillful and laden with meaning as those represented in the fiesta brava will not be vanquished by those who hope to make everyone follow their particular view of the world.

To learn more about the tradition of bull fighting, consider seeking books such as:

La Fiesta Brava, the Art of the Bull Ring, by Barnaby Conrad, Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston.

Bull Fever, by Kenneth Tynan , Harper and Brothers, NY, NY.

The Bullfight, A Photographic Narrative with Text by Norman Mailer, A CBS Legacy Collection Book, distributed by the MacMillan Co.

Thanks for reading.

© Daniel A. Cabrera, TopExec.org, All rights reserved, 2008