The California Academy of Tauromaquia Is Bull!

Luxury Adventures: The term "tauromaquia" loosely translated means bullfighting. The California Academy of Tauromaquia teaches the art of bullfighting. Classes are taught in San Diego, Mexico, and Spain. Since safety is a requisite of such a challenging curriculum, pupils spend substantive time in a classroom before they are matched against a bull. The instructors of the course are either experienced matadors or extremely skilled aficionado practicos of bullfighting. Before that first face-to-face encounter with the wild livestock occurs, students view videos and learn as much as possible about bulls and their fiery demeanors. At the end of the course, enrollees experience tientas, which means they face a live bull.

Much like delving into martial arts, this is a mind-set. Learning how to duel with bulls requires equal amounts of mental discipline and physical ability. The course is taught in weekly and three-day intensive sessions. It also is available on a long-term or an ongoing basis.

The California Academy of Tauromaquia instills a sense of camaraderie into all of its students, as it offers assistance in arranging study groups to promote long-term training and commitment to the art. Enrolling at the Academy is very much like joining a club with perpetual memberships. The goal of the school, aside from keeping participants from being gored, is to assist its students to ultimately become aficionado practicos of bullfighting. All who enroll in the three-day or weekly program are welcomed to attend the Academy's events after completing their lessons.

Bullfighting began during the Spanish War of Reconquest, which was an eight-century ordeal that began in 711 AD. Knights, Moors and Christians would take occasional breaks from brutally killing each other and instead spend their days off fighting Iberian bulls. The spirited savages enjoyed the challenge of battling the ferociously macho beasts to the death. Bulls, much like their barbaric foes, would rather die than lose a battle. Over time such extreme encounters morphed into a ceremonious sporting event without the aid of ESPN. The first historic bullfight took place in Vera, Logroño, in 1133 AD, at the coronation of King Alfonso VIII.

Check out the California Academy of Tauromaquia's website for more info.

For LxM James Rothaar