Widely regarded as cruel and even barbaric by outsiders, the bullfight remains central to Spanish culture and continues to form an important element of the romance of Spain. But why is this seemingly bizarre and undoubtedly dangerous ritual confined to a small part of Europe and why do men risk their lives to perform with and kill wild bulls? In this work, the author investigates the importance of the bullfight for the Spanish people. He describes and analyzes every aspect, from the the breeding of fighting bulls, and the venues of bullfights to the corrida itself where the roles of human and animal participants reflect deep-rooted cultural themes. In doing so, he shows how bullfighting is the key to understanding Spanish conceptions of what it is to be civilised and what it is to be a man.