Bullist(ory)

Bullfighting has been a part of Iberian culture for centuries, dating back to the Moorish occupation. Eager to expel the Muslim invaders, Iberian noblemen trained themselves for combat on horseback. This gave rise to the original form of bullfighting; soon, bullfighting on horseback (toureio equestre) became a national tradition in both Spain and Portugal.

It was a Portuguese nobleman, Dom Pedro Alcântara y Meneses, who founded the activity as it is known today, laying down the formal rules of the fight. When Spanish King Carlos II died childless in 1700, the crown passed to Felipe V, of the French house of Bourbon. Disgusted by bullfighting's brutality, the Bourbons banned it in the mid-1700s; to avoid the ban, commoners took to fighting bulls on foot, giving birth to the Spanish variety.

In Portugal, the traditional art of toureio equestre has persisted. Beginning in the 18th century, however, it became illegal to kill the bull within the ring. The objective of the toureio equestre thus turned from slaughter to displaying the agility of the horse. Fights last 10min. and consist of the matador navigating his horse so as to plant six darts in the bull's neck, perhaps a more graceful version of the timeless battle between man and beast.