Wind, a bullfighter's worst enemy

(photos by Maurice Berho)

Wind is a matador's worst enemy. It can be rather difficult to fight a bull with the wind blowing the muleta all over the place.

One thing to notice at a bullfight will be all the little pieces of torn up newspaper on the ground close to the wooden barreras. These pieces of newspaper are thrown in by one of the matador's team members in an attempt to give the bullfighter an idea where the wind is blowing and if there is an area of the plaza where the wind might be more calm. If there is then the matador might choose to take the bull there for the performance.

You'll also notice on a windy day a team member pouring water on the bottom portion of the muleta. This is to make the muleta heavier on the bottom so that the wind might not blow it around as much.