A Bad Season for Bulls

In Mexico City's bull ring last Sunday afternoon 24,000 men & women (a capacity crowd) paid $25,000 (boxoffice prices, not including scalpers' prices) to see three matadors risk their lives to kill six bulls artistically. As on every Sunday in recent weeks, some 2,000 U.S. citizens were in the crowd, confirming their Anglo-Saxon distaste or acquiring a new Latin love for bullfighting. For this is a big bullfighting season for gringos as well as mexicanos.

The Fine Points. Few of the U.S. citizens, except established residents in Mexico, understand the fine points of the spectacle. In the first scene the peones (matador's helpers) drag their capes before the newly entered bull and flee behind the barrier as he charges. Having studied the bull's style of charging, the matador plays him with a cape, with slow, graceful passes, finally "fixes" the bull --brings him up short with an abrupt pass which ends the scene.

In the second scene two picadores on padded horses take turns inviting the bull to charge them. When he does, they stick their lances in the bull's neck muscles and try to hold him off so that he cannot get at horse or man. (Object: to tire the bull's neck muscles so that he lowers his head in charging, exposing the spot which the matador must hit to kill him.) Next, the peones (or sometimes the matador) place three pairs of beribboned darts in the bull's hump (object: to excite the bull and keep him lively).

The Kill. In the third scene the matador with his sword and muleta (a red cloth draped across a stick) goes forth to the kill. The art of this work consists of the number and variety of the passes which the matador executes, how close he can let the charging bull go past him, how well he can control the bull's charges.

At the very end, the matador stands in profile, aiming his sword at the tired but still dangerous bull. As the charge comes, he leans over the horns, slips the sword into the small spot between the bull's shoulder blades. If the bull tosses its head, if the man's aim is not true, if he loses his nerve, he misses. The sword may be tossed in the air, perhaps bent from the force of the bull's charge. Then the matador must take another sword and steel himself to try again. But if his thrust succeeds, the bull stops with the handle of the sword projecting from his shoulders, stands for a moment and drops dead.

The three scenes take about 20 minutes. Then the next act, with another bull and another matador, begins.

The Heroes. For several reasons this is a big season in Mexican bullfighting. One reason is that two of the best espadas (swordsmen) in modern history are now performing in Mexico. One of them is Fermin Espinosa, called Armillita, now 33, who has killed some 2,000 bulls since he was 16. The other is Silverio Perez, 27, a daring matador who deliberately risks death every time he faces a bull and who last year was the idol of aficionados.

Their Arts. In all his years of fighting Armillita has never been gored; he knows his bulls, is cool in the ring and takes no chances with bad bulls. His work is always skillful, always graceful, sometimes brilliant. And he accepts the homage of the crowd as his proper due.

Silverio, homely and nervous, is a gay showman. His capework is undistinguished and he is not adept in using the muleta with his left hand, but he works closer to the bull than any other matador in Mexico. He has been badly gored four times. Although he is not above pressing his body against the bull's side to pick up a bloodstain, when he does, the crowd has already seen the horn pass within inches of him. And for that the crowd adores him.

New Crop. The other main reason for the big season is that this year an unusually promising crop of new matadors have received their alternativas (have come up from the bush leagues).

One of the most promising and skillful of the newcomers is Juan Estrada. At his presentation before an expectant crowd two months ago he was gored by a bull so badly that he is out for the rest of the season.

Another is Luis Procuna, who has fought only three bulls this season and each time has been awarded (by acclamation) not only the right to cut off one or both ears of the slain bulls, but both ears and the tail (very high approval).

Sunday before last Procuna got this award for the third time in a bull fight in which he appeared with the idolized Silverio. Silverio won some applause for his handling of the first bull, then did badly with the next two (perhaps because the temperature was below freezing), and got whistles and catcalls from the crowd.

Procuna did some brilliant work with a brave, black Piedras Negras bull named Meloncito. Stepping out with the muleta before the kill, Procuna stopped to salute a friend in the stands. As he did so Meloncito charged, tossed him, goring him in the thigh. He leaped to his feet smiling, played the bull brilliantly and then killed it. The crowd went mad as he limped out with his white pantaloon and stocking red with blood. At the infirmary they found his wound was four inches deep.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.