Colom i Placa d'Espana i Corrida

Columbus - Spain Plaza - Bullfight

(sounds better in Catalan doesn't it?)

Colom i Placa d'Espana i Corrida

Monument a Colom, a statue sculpted by Rafael Atche' is located at the site where Columbus returned to Spain and to Queen Isabella and Ferdinand after his first voyage to the Americas. That building in the background looks like it's leaning, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't.

It is said to depict Columbus pointing towards the New World with his right hand, but instead of pointing west, the statue actually points east - supposedly towards Columbus's home of Genoa.

A very brief History 101:

Portugal and Castile (now Spain) were rivals at one time and in 1485, Columbus presented a plan to the King of Portugal for a voyage across the Atlantic, butit was rejected.

In 1488, he appealed to the court of Portugal a second time, but was again turned down. Not being deterred, in 1489 he presented his plan to Queen Isabella I of Castile. Her advisors told her to pass on the idea, but for unknown reasons - probably so he wouldn't take his ideas elsewhere - Queen Isabella gave Columbus an allowance and a letter ordering all Castilian people to provide him food and shelter at no cost.

Finally in 1492, with about half the funding fromItalian investors he secured on his own, he had a contract with the Queen - should he claim any new land for the crown, he would be highly rewarded.

He didn't actually reach the Americas on this first voyage, but he did make it to what is now the Bahamas. On his return, he landed first in Portugal, then in March 1493 landed in Barcelona - ironically at the very sight of this monument.

The monument to Columbus was constructed between 1882 and 1888, the entire construction (labor and materials) done by Catalans, and almost entirely from money privately raised.

Placa d'Espana was built for the 1929 International Exhibition. The square was built on the site that had previously been used for public hangings. It's a huge monument. You can see one of the Venetian columns on the right - there are two so I presume the other one got hidden behind the monument.

It is one of the city's biggest squares with a traffic roundabout and the junction of several major thoroughfares. It is a very busy place and really beautiful at night.

In the background you can see the Arenas de Barcelona - a bullring.

Bullfighting is an important part of Spanish culture and its origins are ancient with the earliest recorded date back to 711 AD when a bullfight (corrida) took place in honor of the crowning of King Alfonso VIII. It is estimated that over 2400 bulls are killed each year in front of enthusiastic crowds of over 30 million spectators. I just don't get it.

The regional parliament in Barcelona recently passed a law to ban bullfighting in Catalonia and the law becomes effective January 1, 2012. Although bulls will no longer die each year in bullfights in Catalonia, it hasn't stopped a similar suffering with the bous al carrer (bulls in the street).

Originally built in 1898, the bullring was abandoned in 1990 as the popularity of bullfighting decreased in Catalonia. In 2003, British architects announced they would team up with a Barcelona firm to revitalize the bullring with retail and office space. However in 2009 with economic difficulties, the project was halted. As you can see from the photo, sadly, it remains incomplete.