'What is bullfighting''
Carlota Roa © What is bullfighting? Well, it is the discipline of containing, and in effect dominating, the rage of a bull. A man on horseback or on foot antagonizes the animal with spears in order to infuriate it, and then demonstrates his skill and dexterity by evading the bull’s mortal lunges. This ritual goes on until culminating in the death of the bull. In my youth, this dramatic scene was exalted in the emotions implicated by attending a bullfighting run at the “Plaza de Toros Mexico”, or a smaller bull-run in the outskirts of the city. My father Carlos was an aficionado of bulls, boxing, operas, cognac and Cuban cigars. It was with this paternal influence that I was immersed in the culture and tradition of bullfighting and became enamored with its flamboyant costumes and brassy fanfares. The ceremony’s rituals combined with the fluidly brutal movements of the tore