Francisco De Goya created between 1815 and 1816 La Tauromaquia, a wonderful series of 33 prints about bullfighting scenes. He used the techiques of etching and aquatint to create powerful black and white images. Tauromaquia is currently at the San Fernando Academy of Fine Arts in Madrid

Season 2017 starts on March 23rd. Tickets already available on line at: www.bullfightticketsmadrid.com

TERNERO Less than one year
BECERRO (AÑOJO) One year old
BECERRO (ERAL) Two years old
NOVILLO (UTRERO) Three years old
NOVILLO (CUATREÑO) Four years old
BULL (CINQUEÑO) Five years old

Las Ventas Bullfighting Ring
was built to replace the bullfighting
ring located off the Aragon highway.
The newer arena was built to be larger,
given that the seating capacity of the
previous one was insufficient because
of the demographic growth that Madrid
experienced during the first-half of the
twentieth century.
The new bullfighting ring was
inaugurated on October 12, 1934. It
remained open without interruption
until 1936, the year in which the Spanish
Civil war began. The construction was
directed by the architect Jose Espeliu,
who died without seeing his work
completed. The ring is partially designed,
using a Mozarabic style. The walls are
inlaid with ceramic depictions of the
shields of all the Spanish provinces, as
well as their purely ornamental motifs.
The arena is 60 meters in diameter.
The bullring has a seating capacity
of 23,000 spectators. At present, 80%
of the seats belong to season ticket
holders. The bullfighting ring also
has a Horse Arena, a Towing Arena
an infirmary (which can be reached
directly from the bullring), a chapel and
a bullfighting museum, that are open
to the public. Currently, the owner of
the bullfighting ring is the regional
community government of Madrid, but
various private companies manage it.