Pedro Romero
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| Pedro Romero | |
 Portrayed by Francisco Goya |
|
| Birth name | Pedro Romero Martínez |
| Born | November 19, 1754  Ronda, Spain |
| Died | February 10, 1839 Spain |
| Nationality | Spanish |
Pedro Romero Martínez (November 19, 1754 - February 10, 1839) was a legendary bullfighter from the Romero family in Ronda, Spain. His grandfather Francisco is credited with advancing the art of using the muletilla; his father and two brothers were also toreros. As a child he participated in two bullfights in Algeciras, he fought in Seville in 1772 and in Madrid, with his father and Costillares, in 1775. In the following year he killed 285 brave bulls, establishing his reputation. He allegedly slew over 6000 bulls before retiring in 1799, all without a scar on his body. However, he was equally famous for being the first matador to view his job as an art form rather than just a display of courage. After retiring, Romero was appointed the head of a bullfighting school in Seville, where he offered his knowledge to matadors-in-training. At the age of eighty, a crowd looked on as he allegedly killed numerous bulls in a bullring in Madrid, probably the last bullfight he ever participated in.
Ernest Hemingway's novel The Sun Also Rises often alludes to the legend of Pedro Romero. He is referred to as the "perfect" male, or a representation thereof. Romero was immortalised in Goya's famous portrait.
