The ring

the bullfighting parade

In this post we are going to talk about the bullrings, what they are used for and some of their characteristics, focusing on the bullring of Las Ventas. Let’s take a look!

What is the ring of the square?

The term “ruedo” is commonly used to refer to the circular area in the centre of the bullring where bullfights take place. In this context, “ruedo” is synonymous with “arena” or “track” and has a number of characteristics that are shared between all bullrings in the world.

Features of the ring:

  • What is the sand like? The sand at Las Ventas is not just any sand, but is brought from rivers all over Spain. The reason is that this type of sand allows rainwater to filter through more quickly, as it is not suitable for the arena to be flooded for bullfights.
  • There are two lines drawn on the ground: They have a specific function:

 

    • Line of Squads: Marks the boundary between the ring and the space where the bullfighters, picadors and other participants are located before the start of the bullfight.
    • Line of Picadores: Indicates the distance at which the picadors must be when carrying out their task with the bull.

 

  • The rim is not round, it is convex: As we have already mentioned before, it is not good for the rim to have water, so by making it convex, it allows the water to drain better.

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