The relationship between man and bulls was already evident in the prehistoric period, as is shown by the numerous representations of this beautiful animal in so many caves. The Bible also makes various references to bulls as, needless to say, does the mythology of the Greeks and Egyptians. It is known that in Thessalia, Greece there were “taurokatharpsia” (bull vaulting) events, festivals in which horsemen would tire bulls by chasing them and then grab them by the horns and wrestle them to the ground by twisting their necks. According to the naturalist Pliny, this was the spectacle that Julius Caesar introduced to the Roman circus a century before Christ.

In Spain, a country that has witnessed the passage of all the ancient Mediterranean cultures, the image of the bull took on special significance, acquiring such symbolism that in the modern age it gave rise to the Spanish festival par excellence. The “national festival”—the bullfight, that is to say, which some have raised to the level of art—began to take shape between the late seventeenth and the early eighteenth centuries, but the dismounted bullfighter gained popularity when the nobility began to imitate the tastes, influenced by the French court, of the Bourbon King Felipe V (1700-1746) and turned away from horseback bullfighting. During this period, the common folk followed suit and made the festival their own. Bulls are especially important in Andalusia, and Málaga is one of the provinces in which the bullfight spectacle is most deeply rooted. It is home to one of the most famous bullfighting schools in Spain, that of Ronda, which has produced peerless matadors.

Since the appearance on the scene in the eighteenth century of the three fundamental figures of bullfighting—the Sevillians Pepe Hillo and Costillares and the Ronda native Pedro Romero—this vibrant spectacle has not lost an iota of interest and continues to excite the thousands of spectators who flock to the rings to cheer on their favourite bullfighters.

Every Spanish city and practically every town has its bullring, including some with very small populations. They exist in such profusion in Andalusia that no one could count them, and that is almost the case in the province of Málaga where the Real Maestranza de Ronda (Royal Riding School of Ronda) stands in a class of its own. It was inaugurated in 1785 by two of the greatest figures in the history of bullfighting: Pepe Hillo and Pedro Romero. It is built of stone in the Neo-Classic style, with a ring 66 metres wide (the largest in Spain). With room for 6,000 spectators, this bullring is considered one of the most beautiful in the country. The famous Goyesca bullfight is held in this compound in early September. It is so called because not only the bullfighters but also some members of the public take part, decking themselves out in the fashion of the nineteenth century in costumes similar to those that Goya recorded in his works. This bullfight is both a thoroughly artistic event, with the most popular figures of the day participating, and a social occasion, with people coming from all over to witness the spectacle.

There are sixteen bullrings in the province of Málaga, all built between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries except for the one in Ronda, which as already noted was opened in the eighteenth century. The second oldest ring in the province is that of Antequera, which dates from 1848. It is built of stone, brick and wood and its well-balanced architecture is notable for the simplicity of its lines and its strongly Andalusian character. It has space for 8,300 spectators. The Malagueta bullring, in the Costa del Sol capital, is the largest in the province, with a capacity of 14,000. Its exterior is a symmetrical 16-sided polygon and its ring measures 52 metres across. It is located in Paseo de Reding, a residential area of the city close to the historical district, and was opened in 1876.