torero

A torero, or bullfighter, is a performer in the Spanish spectacle of bullfighting. This tradition, popular in Spain and other Spanish-speaking countries, involves a bullfighter engaging a bull in a sand arena, typically culminating in the bull's death. The performers include picadors on horseback who lance the bull, banderilleros who place barbed darts into the bull, and the matador, the main bullfighter who ultimately kills the bull.12

Bullfights are structured into acts, or tercios, and involve specific phases of capework, lancing, and the final kill. The matador wears an ornate costume known as the traje de luces, or suit of lights. While often viewed as a sport, bullfighting is considered an art form by its proponents, where the artist faces the danger of death. The practice is controversial, with critics deeming it barbaric and animal-rights activists opposing it, while defenders see it as a cultural tradition and a unique art form.341