There are many facts about bullfighting that will shock you. From the fascinating history of bullfighting, through to the ethical implications of this ‘sport’, bullfighting is certainly an interesting thing to research.
Bullfighting has been a prominent activity in tourism throughout history. But why has it historically been so popular? Should we partake in bullfighting in the 21st century? And if we are considering supporting this industry, what facts about bullfighting do we need to know? All is revealed in this article…
- Facts about bullfighting that will surprise and shock you
- #1 These bulls are bred to fight
- #2 The biggest bullring isn’t in Spain
- #3 Spain’s biggest bullring is in Madrid
- #4 Madrid is the most important bullring
- #5 It is not really considered a sport in Spain
- #6 Bullfighting goes back to the ancient times
- #7 Modern-day bullfighting was pioneered in the 1700s
- #8 Not all bulls are killed in the ring
- #9 Some areas of Spain have banned bullfighting
- #10 There are bullfighting schools – for children
- #11 Around a quarter of a million bulls are killed each year
- #12 Bullfighting takes place in 14 countries
- Some more facts about bullfighting: Further reading
Facts about bullfighting that will surprise and shock you
Are you interested in attending a bullfight? Or perhaps you just want to learn a bit more about bullfighting? Either way, here are 12 of the most shocking facts about bullfighting…
#1 These bulls are bred to fight
The first interesting fact about bullfighting is that you won’t find just any old breed of bull used in bullfighting. There is a specific breed called the Toro Bravo, bred for their aggressiveness. They will (unlike their domestic counterparts) always charge at a target.
Fighting bulls are therefore very different from most farm cattle. That said, any bull can be dangerous, so you should always take care around livestock in fields.
Experts in the field have traced these bulls back to the Iberian bulls of ancient Rome. They were used in arena games in amphitheatres like the Colosseum!
#2 The biggest bullring isn’t in Spain
While bullfighting is something we typically associate with the sunny European country of Spain (home of sangria and tortilla), the biggest bullring is actually in North America. You’ll find it in Mexico City, Mexico. It is called the Plaza de Toros Mexico.
The bullring here seats around 41,000 spectators and is also used for boxing matches.
For example, the famous third bout between Julio César Chávez and Frankie Randall was hosted here!
Opened in February 1946, the Plaza replaced an older bullring (Toreo de la Condesa) which was located in the Condesa neighbourhood. The new stadium was built to accommodate the growing population of Mexico City. Bullfighting at the Plaza México was suspended by the courts in 2022, before resuming in 2024. In March 2025, Mexico City’s Congress voted to allow only ‘bloodless’ bullfighting in the city, banning the killing of bulls and the use of sharp weapons.
#3 Spain’s biggest bullring is in Madrid
This might not be one of the most shocking bullfighting facts, given that Madrid is the country’s capital, but it’s worth mentioning nevertheless.
This bullring isn’t the biggest in the world, but Spain’s biggest bullring is pretty impressive. The Las Ventas bullring, located in Madrid, opened in June 1931 and seats 23,798. It is actually only the third largest bullring in the world, with Venezuela grabbing second place.
Las Ventas is home to a bullfighting museum where you can learn about the history of bullfighting – and you can do a tour of the building too.
Concerts are also held here – from The Beatles in 1965 to Coldplay in 2011 as well as AC/DC (1996), Radiohead (2003) and Kylie Minogue (2009), there have been some spectacularly big names in the music industry playing at Las Ventas.
Markets, theatre shows and more are hosted here too!
#4 Madrid is the most important bullring
Las Ventas is considered the most important bullring in the world. A matador who receives their alternativa (the ceremony that makes them a full matador) at another bullring must ‘confirm’ it at Las Ventas before they can fight there as a matador.
Performing well at Las Ventas, especially during the San Isidro festival each May, can make a bullfighter’s career.
#5 It is not really considered a sport in Spain
While bullfighting is considered a sport to many, the Spanish see it as a cultural event. It is a huge part of Spanish history. They do not see it as competitive; rather, highly ritualistic. It is for this reason that the bull is sacrificed with a sword to the heart rather than any other body part.
There are, of course, rules and guidelines as well as various tactics and techniques when it comes to bullfighting, but the Spaniards still don’t see it as a sport in the same way they view, for example, football or tennis.
#6 Bullfighting goes back to the ancient times
Far from being a new phenomenon, bullfighting has been around for thousands of years and the history of bullfighting is actually very interesting.
The famous ‘Bull-Leaping Fresco’ from the palace of Knossos in Crete, dating from around 1450–1400 BC, shows acrobats leaping over a charging bull. We also know that the ancient Romans used bulls in their arena games across the empire.
In medieval Spain, bullfighting developed as an aristocratic pastime, with noblemen fighting bulls on horseback. These events took place on feast days and special occasions and were watched by large crowds.
So as you can see, there is a long history when it comes to shocking bullfighting facts…
#7 Modern-day bullfighting was pioneered in the 1700s
It was a man called Francisco Romero (1700-1763) who introduced Spain to bullfighting as we know it today. Bullfighting already existed, as per the previous shocking bullfighting fact, but it was Romero who paved the way for its modernity.
As the stories go, he was pretty much the founding father of bullfighting. It was early on in his life and career that he asked for permission to kill a bull himself at the end of a fight – this hadn’t been done before.
Later that day he provoked the bull a few times with a cloth, then killed it with his sword. Romero is credited with popularising the muleta – the small cloth used by matadors today – and made it essential to the sport.
He went on to do this again at other bullfighting rings. This made him the bullfighter: the first (professional) matador, full of authenticity. He was also the one to introduce death by sword to bullfighting.
Read more:
- Bullfighting in Spain: What you NEED to know
- 9 fascinating Running of the Bulls facts
- A brief history of the running of the bulls
- San Fermin: Why you should NOT go to the Running of the Bulls
#8 Not all bulls are killed in the ring
This is one of the nicest shocking facts about bullfighting. While many bulls do sadly die in the ring, as is the nature of the sport, not all do. It is up to the crowd to decide…
If a bull is thought to have displayed exemplary behaviour and high levels of bravery in the ring, they can be pardoned – otherwise known as indultado. The crowd will display white handkerchiefs in order to try and convince the president of the bullring to let this bull live.
This is rare, but it means the bull is allowed to go home to the ranch where it was raised. Here it will live out the rest of its life in peace!
#9 Some areas of Spain have banned bullfighting
Bullfighting is, naturally, quite a controversial sport and many question whether it is ethical.
Some areas of Spain have gone so far as to ban it completely. It is banned in the Canary Islands, as of 1991, and Catalonia banned the sport from 2012. However, Spain’s Constitutional Court overturned this ban in 2016, ruling that the Catalan ban was an unconstitutional prohibition of “Spanish cultural heritage”. Several cities in the area have declared themselves as anti-bullfighting cities, though, including the capital Barcelona. No bullfights have been held in Catalonia since the ban was introduced, despite the court ruling.
Mallorca (Majorca), one of the Balearic Islands, adopted a law in 2017 that prohibited the killing of a bull during a fight. However, this law was also said to be partially unconstitutional by the Spanish Constitutional Court in 2018. The judges ruled that the death of the bull was part of the essence of a corrida. In 2024, Spain’s Ministry of Culture also scrapped the National Bullfighting Prize, which had been awarded since 2011.
#10 There are bullfighting schools – for children
When it comes to the most shocking facts about bullfighting, this one is up there.
Across Spain there are dozens of bullfighting schools, some of which accept children and teenagers. Students practise with fake bulls before moving on to young calves.
The world media went wild over this in 2019, when it came to light that calves had reportedly been killed during classes at a bullfighting school in Colmenar Viejo. Celebrities like Lewis Hamilton spoke out about this, and petitions went round to have these bullfighting schools shut down.
Some conservative politicians in Spain continue to support bullfighting and have called for it to be promoted, while the current government has moved in the opposite direction – for example by scrapping the National Bullfighting Prize in 2024.
#11 Around a quarter of a million bulls are killed each year
Animal welfare organisations estimate that up to 250,000 bulls are killed in bullfighting events worldwide each year, although numbers in Spain have fallen significantly as attendance and public support have declined.
This is a major reason as to why the sport is so controversial – any sport that involves the injury or death of an animal is a topic that is regularly up for debate.
Sports involving animals are seen as exploitative, as the animal cannot consent but can feel the fear, exhaustion, stress and pain that comes alongside being used for human entertainment in a brutal way. Many say that it is an abuse of power, as humans have a position of responsibility towards all nature – including animals.
#12 Bullfighting takes place in 14 countries
One of the most shocking facts about bullfighting is that the sport is actually practised in 14 different countries. The exact number changes as laws change, and in some of these countries only bloodless or traditional bull-related events take place.
Many associate bullfighting with Spain and Spain alone, but there are thirteen other countries in which you’d be able to attend some form of bullfight should you want to. These (including Spain) are:
- Colombia
- Costa Rica
- Ecuador
- France
- Honduras
- India
- Mexico
- Panama
- Nicaragua
- Peru
- Portugal
- Spain
- United States
- Venezuela
The laws and rules are different in each country, meaning the sport differs slightly from place to place.
For example, in their 2011 referendum, Ecuador voted to ban the public killing of the bulls. This means that at the end of a bullfight, they are taken ‘backstage’ to be killed instead of being killed as part of the traditional corrida. In 2024, Colombia passed a law banning bullfighting, which is being phased in and comes fully into force in 2027.
In Mexico, bullfighting is banned in four states (Sonora, Guerrero, Coahuila and Quintana Roo), but is legal throughout the rest of the country.
Meanwhile, bullfighting is protected as cultural heritage in some of these countries. It is said to be a tradition, and that banning it would be wrong. It is particularly favoured by right-wing governments and their supporters.
Bullfighting: FAQs
Below are answers to some of the most common questions about bullfighting.
Is bullfighting still legal in Spain?
Yes, bullfighting is legal in most of Spain, although it is banned in the Canary Islands and no bullfights have taken place in Catalonia since 2012. Attendance and public support have fallen in recent years.
Where is the largest bullring in the world?
The largest bullring in the world is the Plaza México in Mexico City, which seats around 41,000 spectators. Spain’s largest is Las Ventas in Madrid.
Which countries have banned bullfighting?
Bullfighting is banned or restricted in a growing number of places. Colombia passed a ban in 2024 that comes fully into force in 2027, Ecuador banned killing bulls in public, and Mexico City now only allows bloodless bullfights.
Are bulls always killed in a bullfight?
In a traditional Spanish corrida the bull is usually killed, but a bull can occasionally be pardoned (indultado) for exceptional bravery. In bloodless bullfights, such as in Portugal and parts of the USA, the bull is not killed in the ring.
Why is bullfighting controversial?
Supporters see bullfighting as an important cultural tradition and art form, while opponents argue that it is cruel, as bulls experience fear, pain and stress before being killed for entertainment.
Some more facts about bullfighting: Further reading
- In Search of an Alternative Biopolitics: Anti-Bullfighting, Animality, and the Environment in Contemporary Spain
- La Corrida de Toros – The tradition of bullfighting in Spain
- Darkness in Ronda: Crime Thriller set in the world of Bullfighting
- Sun Also Rises
- Spirit of The Bull
- Tauromachy
- Ferdinand
- Bull Runners of Pamplona
