Romería

Culture

Art, feeling and tradition

Las Monjas

Seville: Bull Territory

In Andalusia there are more than 150 thousand hectares dedicated to the fighting bull. These extensions of dehesa, marshland and countryside make it the largest area in Spain devoted to this beautiful animal.

Seville is the cradle of the fighting bull; the first fighting bull farms were set up and the breeding and selection of this unique animal began centuries ago in the fields of the province. Since ancient times the bull, a legendary animal, has been involved in our rites and traditions: bullfighting was already practiced in ancient Tartessos. Today, in the province of Seville, there are more than 80 livestock farms with some of the legendary brands devoted to breeding the fighting bull, most of which are open to the public. The bull is an integral part of our identity and our economy.

The world of the bull has its own unique culture: ancestral rites, distinctive costumes (the traje de luces (matador's suit), the montera (matador's hat), the capote (cape), the muleta (red cloth), the suit of the rejoneador (horseback bullfighter) and the suit of the picador (horseback bullfighter with pike)), legendary historical figures, the suertes (stages) of the bullfight, its own terminology and architecture (bullrings). The bullfight posters and the brands of the livestock farms are very characteristic and are highly sought-after by collectors. The fighting bull is fought in the bullring. The bullfighting culture has been called the "Art of Bullfighting" and in the province of Seville the tradition is still very much alive.

The bull has also had a great influence on art and has been represented in its various forms since ancient times. The world of the bull, with its strong images and passion, has been captured in the work of Picasso, Goya and other great universal Spanish artists. Poets and writers have also been inspired by bullfighting: Federico García Lorca and Rafael Alberti among others. Today the bull is one of our main hallmarks.

On the Bull Territory Tour you will see a unique animal, in a spectacular setting: surrounded by nature in the dehesas, marshland and countryside. In Bull Territory there are seven livestock farms open to the public in the province of Seville, where the breeding and selection of fighting bulls is an art: Hermanos Peralta in La Puebla del Río; Partido de Resina in Aznalcázar; Marqués de Albaserrada and Lora Sangrán in Gerena; Gabriel Rojas and Hermanos Sampedro in El Castillo de las Guardas; Las Monjas in Lora del Río and Conde de la Maza in Morón de la Frontera.

Feel the strength of this legendary beast, discover the life of the bull in the field: tentaderos (genetic selection of cows in mock bullfights), acoso y derribo (chasing and bringing down the bull on horseback), cattle handling, branding, bullfighting professions, selection, castas (lineage) and bravura (aggressiveness). Visit historical bullrings, bullfighting museums, exhibitions, and famous restaurants where you can try the famous cola de toro (bull's tail) and other specialities. Get to know the bullfighting professions and the bullfighting schools.

Bull Territory, a whole world of its own. Feel the passion for the fighting bull in the province of Seville.