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What is bullfighting really about?
The history of violence and death in Spain is clearly reflected in the bullring, a tradition that reaches back to Roman times, when bulls were fought and killed as they are today. The paradox of the bullfight is that with all its pride and splendor, there is the perpetual danger of the bull conquering man; that unpredictable moment when the bull turns upon the bullfighter and hurls him to the ground like a weightless doll. With his "suit of lights" bloodied and stained, pride and dignity vanish, and in its place is the man himself; a man very much like ourselves, vulnerable and afraid, and naked to forces than can overwhelm us.
The bullfight is the only spectacle where a living being must inevitably die. It is a cruel encounter that paradoxically reaches the level of art, when the bullfighter, at the height of his power, courageously confronts the bull. At that moment, each becomes an integral part of the other, and their bodies merge into one. It is a moment when the primeval struggle between man and beast, becomes a deeper struggle within himself. The Moment of Truth thus transforms man's focus into a confrontation with the destructive elements within his own nature. For the Spaniard, The Moment of Truth also symbolizes his timeless struggle with death and nothingness: The horns of the bull are life's weapons against him, while his sword becomes his laughter, his art, and his indifference.
maya