The Plaza De Toros de la Ventas of Madrid is one of the largest bullfight arenas in the world

Plaza de Toros arch detail

6:23 PM. The crowds begin to arrive for the 7:00 bullfight.

6:40 PM. The stands fill up waiting for the bullfight to begin at 7:00.

7:05 PM; the bullfight begins. The players enter the field. The Matadors (or toreros), the ones who actually kill the bull, are always in gold-trimmed attire while their subordinates are in silver or black dress..

The fanfare continues.

The bull is let into the ring

When the bull is determined to be too weak, it is led out of the ring by oxen. They will only fight a strong bull

In order to weaken the bull, the Picador lances the bull with a spear. For its protection, the horse is heavily padded and blindfolded.

The Banderillero inserts barbed wooden decorated sticks into the bull´s neck muscle