December 3, 2007

There’s an air of festivity, excitement, and anticipation in Ecuador these days as the nation celebrates not only the founding of its capital city, San Francisco de Quito (Dec. 6, 1534), but the inauguration of a national constitutional assembly whose charge it is to draft a new constitution. Called for by President Correa and approved by popular vote, the assembly consists of 130 members representing the various provinces and diversity of Ecuador’s population. The revision of the constitution will take place over the course of the next six months. In the meantime, however, the national congress has been essentially dissolved. Whether or not a new congress will be instated depends on the new constitution and how the assembly (re)structures the government. Let’s hope that the process goes more smoothly than it did in Bolivia.

While the assembly is hard at work, Quito celebrate. Fiestas de Quito is a party not to be missed in Ecuador. For approximately two weeks culminating on the 6^th of December, the city preoccupies itself with beauty pageants, bull fights, formal events, and parties. Traditional foods, live bands playing national music, and chivas (party buses) are found in plenty on the streets during this time, and there is certainly no shortage of alcohol as people take to dancing and drinking into the early hours of the morning. Yes, Fiestas de Quito is infamous for its party reputation, so much so that the city is actively promoting responsible drinking. When considering the popular party slogan “que chupe Quito!” (chupe is an expression for drinking, but drinking hard), it’s not hard to imagine why the local authorities would be concerned.

Aside from the heavy partying, the event that defines Fiestas de Quito is the bull fight. Throughout the festival, bullfighters from various parts of the Spanish speaking world converge on the plaza de los toros to display their skill and artistry as professional toreadors in front of thousands of spectators. While not one for watching blood sports, I had to see for myself what it is about bull fighting that seems to captivate the imagination of its audience. What I encountered was something both frightening and beautiful at the same time.

Standing only inches before the bull, the matador, with his elegant suit of mirrors, red cape, and sword, challenges the bull with calm and graceful movements, deftly and narrowly dodging its’ charging horns. By now wounded and angered by the lances thrust between its’ shoulder blades, the bull warily watches, waiting for an opportunity to catch the provoking figure unaware. The matador, displaying his courage, turns from the bull and arches his back, never taking his eyes off the bull. His confidence growing, he becomes more daring with his cape, allowing the bull to pass close enough to touch its’ body. The cheering spectators, praising the matador’s skill and elegant performance, shout Olé with every pass.

The final test, however, that which defines a matadors true prowess, is in the killing blow (the estocada). The matador tosses aside the red cape (the muleta), revealing the sword beneath and steadies himself as he musters his concentration and courage for the final approach. A good matador, for his honor and for that of the bull, must place the sword between the shoulder blades and through the heart in one swift movement that will bring the matador and the bull dangerously close together. No matter how elegant a performance up to that point, a failed attempt can bring shame to a matador and arouse anger from the audience, for no matter how counterintuitive it may seem, bull fighting from the perspective of the bullfighters is as much about the honor of the bull as it is of the matador.

In the end, the bullfight itself is a highly ritualized event involving a series of movements, postures, and gestures that a matador and his assistants must master and execute with grace. As such, its greater significance with regards to Spanish culture may be understood in terms of its underlying symbolism. Considering the origins and development of the contemporary corrida de toros (Spanish style bullfighting) among eighteenth century Spanish nobility, it may be that the matador embodies certain Spanish ideals concerning masculinity and, in turn, the relationship between man and the natural world. The matador projects courage, grace, valor, confidence and honor in the face of adversity. The bull, by extension, could signify any adversary or challenge that we encounter and must learn to overcome during the course of our lives. Furthermore, the relationship between the matador and the bull is one of respect, but it is also ultimately one of mastery or subjugation (a hierarchical relationship). The significance of bullfighting, apart from a source of popular entertainment, is most likely contained in the symbolism embodied in the relationship between the matador and the bull, as it reflects our capacity to confront and overcome our fears with courage, grace, valor, confidence, and honor.

To the matador in all of us, Olé!

Que viva Quito!!
Pacho