What Is Mexican Bullfighting?

Written by: Elijah Vazquez 11th

In Mexico, there is a long-running tradition known as the “Corrida de Toros,"  also known as Mexican bullfighting. This tradition has been deeply rooted in Mexico’s culture, dating all the way back to Spain’s conquest of Mexico! Nowadays, it is a very popular yet controversial act that is done in Mexico that shows both the art and tradition of Mexico. So, what exactly is bullfighting? Well, it is when a matador steps into a ring, known as the bullring, and faces off with a bull in a showcase of bravery and art. The matador, dressed in their traje de luces (suit of lights), uses both his sword and cape to maneuver the bull in certain directions and reach their goal, defeating the bull. They do this by fighting in tercios (three stages), where at first they study the bull, watching its movements, using mainly their cape to see how the bull reacts and moves around it. 

Now, to debunk the misconception, bulls don’t actually hate the color red and attack matadors because of their red cap. In fact, they are color-blind to the color red and can’t notice it at all! Instead, they attack the matador's cape due to them stressing and antagonizing the bull, making it feel like its prey instead of a predator, and attacking it to make the stress go away. In past bullfights, the second stage would have a person called a “picador” try to stab the bull enough to make it stop fighting. As the tradition has become more modern, though, the killing of bulls has become illegal, changing the role of picadores to what they are in the present, where their job is to tire out the bull enough in order to make the matador’s job much easier. In the past, the final stage would consist of the matador returning to the bullring in order to finish off the kill of the bull and celebrate the victory against the bull. As previously mentioned, the killing of bulls is illegal now, so in the present, the matadors instead need to grab a flower off of the back of the bull in order to signify a “clean kill” on the bull, so the bull isn’t actually killed. Historic and controversial bullfighting has been around forever in Mexican culture and will continue to be passed on for generations of matadors!

Bullfighting is a physical sport that usually consists of a matador killing a bull as a form of entertainment for spectators. This tradition first started back in 711 CE when the very first bullfight was held in honor of King Alfonso VIII’s coronation and has continued up until May 15th, 2022, when the Mexican Supreme Court temporarily suspended the sport through entertainment such as the ‘Paso Doble’ from Folklórico to ‘The Book of Life’ movie. However, back in early December of last year, a panel of five judges from the Mexican Supreme Court reviewed and unanimously denied their previous suspension, which thus allowed bullfighting to continue in Mexico City after being suspended for nearly two years by then.

Animal welfare activists took to the streets on the last Sunday of January this year during the first bullfight after the suspension was lifted in protest and stayed throughout the whole performance as riot police stood guard on the streets, holding up signs with certain slogans, chanting either through megaphones or with just their voice, donning costumes that consisted of bulls covered in blood, and even trying to scale the gates of La Plaza México. On Wednesday of that very same week, however, a different judge imposed a new ban on bullfighting, acting on a petition that had been filed by an animal rights group that argued that bulls should be given the same legal protection as other animals in the country. Lawyers from La Plaza México were quick to file an appeal later that same day and were eventually given permission on Friday that week to allow any bullfights that had been scheduled before that new ban to continue on until March 17, which until then will continue to receive high attendance and protesters.

“Russian forces committed a litany of violations of international humanitarian law, including indiscriminate and disproportionate bombing and shelling of civilian areas that hit homes and healthcare and educational facilities. Some of these attacks should be investigated as war crimes.” Many people are most definitely well aware of the "Russian-Ukraine War," which started as a small-scale invasion in 2022 and grew to a full-scale conflict that took thousands of lives and severely damaged houses and infrastructure, resulting in major civilian casualties. According to reports, there has been fighting between the countries of Russia and Ukraine since February 2014, a decade of continuous fighting that began during the time of the Obama presidency, which responded to the situation with a lack of action. The Russian-Ukrainian War is believed to have been triggered by Vladimir Putin's ambitious power ambition to annex Ukraine, considering that he never truly recognized its independence and because he strongly opposed Ukraine's possible membership in NATO, which would have posed a threat to his security.

“In the past week, Russia has used 400 guided aerial bombs, more than 50 Shahed drones, and more than 40 missiles against Ukraine... Ukraine has shot down seven Russian military aircraft over the past week, and 15 total in the month of February,” according to Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Up until today, the Russian-Ukraine War is still ongoing. Just this month alone, Russia has already made a massive impact. The latest news reported the aftermath of a Russian drone striking the Ukraine City Odessa Apartment Block, which resulted in plenty of deaths that did not only include adults but also children and babies. These bombs caused massive destruction, impacting families. It is said that five children's bodies were removed from the fallen building. Second, “The body of another baby has just been found next to the woman’s body. The child is believed to be less than a year old," said Oleh Kiper, Head of Odessa Regional Military. Another said that the body of a mother and a four-month-old baby had also been found. These people are only among the number of people that have been found killed due to the Odessa block bombing; reportedly, plenty of people have also been injured due to the bombing. The Russian-Ukraine War has been incredibly gruesome. Not only are soldiers lines in the line every day to protect people from the missiles and bombs planted by a person who chose to put the lives of many, of not only other people but also his own citizens in danger for power, but he is also stripping the lives of innocent children, never giving them a chance to grow up and have a normal life, but dying for reasons that should have never been put against them.

A common way to make quick cash is to apply for a local job, for example, at a coffee shop nearby or your local retail store. There are many ways to apply for a job. You can go in-store or online through applications like Indeed or ZipRecruiter. The minimum wage in California is $16 per hour. However, as a high school student, there is a limit due to how many hours you are allowed to work if you are under 18. You can work 4 hours every school day and 8 hours every non-school day. You also need a work permit issued by your high school and signed by your parent or legal guardian. 

1. Babysitting is a common job among teenagers. When it comes to babysitting, the wage is up to the parent or guardian of the child. To be a babysitter, you need good social skills and the ability to work with children. Patience is necessary. Additionally, you’ll need to complete first aid and CPR training. The average wage for babysitting in California is $19.04 per hour. You can apply online at Care.com. 

2. Another easy job is tutoring. You can tutor someone at your school or tutor your neighbor's kids in a subject you feel confident in. You’ll need good communication skills to connect with your student so they don't feel stressed about the subject they might be struggling with. You can even tutor online at Tutor.com. The average wage for a private tutor is $32.74 per hour. 

3. If you like to swim, then you should consider becoming a lifeguard. The qualifications require good fitness and endurance, including swimming 400 meters within 10 minutes. You will also need a National Vocational Beach Lifeguard Qualification (NVBLQ), which includes an introduction to first aid, pool skills, and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). The average wage is $15.72 per hour.

There are also ways you can make quick cash in your neighborhood. One is by going around your neighborhood, selling chocolates in a box you bought from the store, or making some lemonade and setting up a lemonade stand. You can set your price and work as long as you see fit. A garage sale is also an option; you get to sell and get rid of things you don’t need, and you can work from home. The items that you’re selling may have value to people walking by. The price of the items you are selling is entirely up to you. It will help you connect with and speak with your community. Another job to do from home is selling clothes or stuff online. Many platforms will help your business grow, like Depop and Poshmark. What you are selling has to be in good condition, of course, or you might not make much of a profit. At the end of the day, selling chocolates or snacks might be the easiest way to make quick cash.