Bulls of Guisando

The Toros de Guisando are a group of four standing in series bull sculptures from the 5th to the 3rd century BC; they belong to the group of Verracos.

Location

The Toros de Guisando are in the east of the present province of Ávila at El Tiemblo near the border with the province of Madrid. One stream and one of the many cattle drive routes in Spain ( Cañadas Reales ) lead all over nearby.

Description

The four massive acting and made ​​of granite bull figures (height 1.40 m, length 2,10 meters) form a series in north-south direction; the heads look therefore due east - ie in the direction of the rising sun. In the minds of two of the animals significantly holes can be seen, in which formerly the horns could be plugged. Droopy and side - clearly reminiscent of cattle - skin folds on the neck are also available. In three of the bulls are to be seen clearly with tassels hanging down tails; in another one of the scrotum. The legs of the bulls are not free but are - for better stability - a longitudinal rectangular base plate and by small cubic blocks - remnants of the original granite stones - linked.

The southernmost of the four bulls bears on his back a Latin inscription which can be read about as follows:. Longinus PRISCO, CALAETQ PATRI.FC ( translation: Longinus the tribe of the Calaeticer in memory of his father Priscus ).

Classification

In the center and west of Spain there are a variety of unconnected animal sculptures ( verracos ) - alone in the province of Ávila, there are over a hundred; others are located in the provinces of Salamanca, Zamora and Caceres. Some sculptures are uniquely identified by their tusks as a boar; other bulls are similar and some are in very poor condition, so that the local population has she jokingly referred to as burros ( = "ass" ) or mulas ( = " mules "). They are the culture of the Iberian or Celtiberian, especially the Vettones, that is assigned to the 8th to the 5th century BC. Since they are usually solitary and is no consistency orientation, it is speculated time and again, whether the establishment of four in a row is carried out initially or only later.

The Toros de Guisando apply some as evidence of the long standing tradition of the bull cult - perhaps also of bullfighting - on the Iberian Peninsula.

Historical Significance

• The Toros de Guisando the proclamation Isabella I as Princess of Asturias and thus as Castilian heir to the throne took place on September 18, 1468. A erected at the place plaque still reminds us of the history of the Spanish extremely important event. However, since no historical documents exist, it could also be a subsequently created legend that legitimizes the claim to the throne of Isabella.
• In the novel Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, the bull stones are mentioned several times.
• In the poem Llanto por Ignacio Sánchez Mejía of Federico García Lorca, the Toros de Guisanto are also mentioned.