 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.
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