This picture shows the final strike against the bull in the bull fight I attended on Sunday. After speaking to a man who sat near us in the stadium I learned that the sword used to kill the sword is slightly curved. There are two small spots on either side of the spin of the bull that should be pierced and if done correctly will penetrate the heart of the bull, killing it quickly. This, however, is not an easy task. Only one matador successfully conquered the bull in this manner. In the other five cases the bull must die slowly and is often confused by other men who serve almost as the equivalent of a "rodeo clown." If the death is too long and clearly the bull is suffering than an older matador comes into the ring with a very short and very sharp knife/sword which is used to slice the spinal cord, therefore killing the bull automatically. Within the course of the fight another long sword was used as defense for the matador and a long spear like object was used by picadores who rode horses within the first moments of the fight.
Overall, I enjoyed the experience tremendously, but was also very surprised by the entire event. I attended the fight with a fair amount of anticipation and also several misconceptions. Unlike I expected, the bull fight was not extremely brutal. Instead, I compared it to a dance with certain rites that had to be completed. Furthermore, it was not as easy as a slice of the sword, but took time and skill I miscalculated. At one point, I anticipated that the matador would be spending a few weeks in the intensive care unit! The ring was very large and it was clear that the event held significant cultural importance.