THE BULL OF LA VEGA
To honour the Virgin, the city attacks to death a bull with spears, for several hours.

City: TORDESILLAS
Population: 8.400
Province: VALLADOLID
Community: CASTILLA LEÓN - SPAIN
SEPTEMBER

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11th 2007

THE EVENT

In the second week of September, the Virgin of La Peña is honoured in Tordesillas. To celebrate Her day, people kill a bull with spears and cut off the testicles. The Virgin must feel really honoured with this sacrifice, as it has been yearly repeated for centuries. The "show" is regulated by the City Council, in other words, it is banned to kill the bull ahead of time and to use motor vehicles.

The bull is forced by people to run and cross the bridge, attacking the animal with spears; when the animal gets the plain, crossing the river, mortal attacks with those weapons are already allowed. Previously, people can only attack to injure and/or pierce the bull.

When the bull falls down, the perpetrator of the theoretical mortal attack exercises his right to cut the testicles off and -even though it is already disapproved, to show them hunging in the end of his spear. He receives his prize from the City Council of Tordesillas: a medal and a spear made of wrought iron.

It is very difficult to imagine what kind of human intellect, sick and warped, can enjoy this psychopathic practice. It is even more difficult to cover this whole sadistic package with the carpet of culture. Where does this country goes with these despicable traditions? Imagine yourself in the middle of the yelling crowd, in front of a bleeding, wounded and riddled animal, mooing out in pain and horror. And do something for him...

"A barbaric crowd, armed with medieval spears ended in sharp sheets 33 cm (13 inches) long, hotly pursue a bull in the countryside; people drive their terrible spears anywhere in the body of the animal, who dies after a brutal torment and a huge suffering". (ANPBA)

Rodanero, Toro de la Vega 2004

THE WAY "THEY" DESCRIBE IT

"The festival of Tordesilla is held during the second week of September, to honour Virgen of la Peña [...] The main day is Tuesday, when the famous "Bull of La Vega" runs. This traditional and famous event, unique in the whole world of bullfighting, has been held for centuries.The Bull of La Vega is also the survival of one of the oldest and unique taurine rituals in Spain: the speared bull. [...]. To success with the event the bull is carefully chosen, a specimen weighing 500 kg (1.000 pounds) at least, some years old, already reproduced and, of course, splendid-looking.

"[...] Crossing the bridge, the bull faces its destiny. On the other side of the river horsemen and pedestrians, armed with soears, are waiting for him and will not stop until killing it in a delimited area of the wide plain. This Tournament is currently ruled by norms given by the City Council of Tordesillas, basically: the prohibition to kill the bull until the animal reaches the delimited area, and the prohibition to use any motor vehicle into the Tournament place.

"The fortunate person who succeeds in the mortal throw has the right to snatch the testicles away and show them proud in the end of his pike. (Since a few years ago, this is not allowed, enven though some brutes still try to do it). The City Council awards the winner a golden medal and gives a a spear made of wrought iron

THIS IS SPANISH CULTURE

"The Bull of la Vega"	by Álvaro Múnera Builes
Tordesillas is a Spanish town on the banks of the Duero in the province of Valladolid. The place is historically known to have given its name to a famous treaty, signed in 1494, by means of which the control of new world was divided up among Spain and Portugal. But today is one of the most internationally detestable places, and quite rightly!
Bull of la Vega 2000, in a part of the run, before dead. It is clearly noticed a driven spear near the head, and a second one on the left, going through the body from side to side. (When the bull is severely injured, they often throw darts and take the eyes out) The thing is that the gigantic menu of atrocities commited in Spain against the animals, turns our mother country into the world champion of human savagery against them, closely followed by some of our conquered countries and other Asiatic ones. We throw live goats from the top of a bell tower; tie up a duck by the legs from bank to bank, to be killed from a canoe by a maniac who hangs himself from its neck; hunt; bulffight on foot or riding, with the brutality of pikes, banderillas (short decorated lance), rejones (pikes used when riding), and rapiers; set the horns of a bull on fire; bomb a bull with darts to kill it off later with a shotgun; use greyhounds for races and hunting, to hang them from a tree when become useless for the "owners".
But my attention is drawn to a category of torture and death, disguised as show and tratition, out of competition for its savagery and brutality: the Bull of la Vega, held in Tordesillas in September to honour Virgin of La Peña. Sorry for the Virgin! I have to admit, dear reader, that it is really difficult to get the right words to describe this irrationality, I prefer you to discover it by yourself to feel the same I felt, to become furious, powerless and more. I just say that in that town, the second week of September, on Tuesday, a bull is savagely massacred in the most despicable way. Write "toro de la vega" in any searcher and get ready to surf the highest expression of the human decline; pluck the corage to view those tauromachiavellian images and then, in the same searcher, write "tordesillas", visit the sites of that town and let off steam in the newsgroups. Do not worry, you will be not the only one.
And finally, mail me to amunera70@hotmail.com and tell me if you got on as bad as me in this gloomy adventure. Oh Terciopelo, the bull that killed "Pilarico" and brought Álvaro Múnera Builes to life! You do not know how much I thank you for your goring; you saved me to be one more of the clan of "Bull of la Vega". I am aware of a fact: even working till the end of my life defending the right of the animals for not to be tortured, I shall never pay the harm I caused them. An advice, if you travel to Spain and see a notice with the words "Welcome to Tordesillas", pass by; if there live people able to do such an atrocity, it must be a branch of hell.