The extraordinary tale of Spain's first female bullfighter, a nun from Malaga province

Today we share with you the story of the first female bullfighter, María de Gaucín, who became a nun in the Carmelite monastery, following in the footsteps of Saint Teresa. We know of this fiercely religious woman thanks to the testimony of Jane Dieulafoy, a French traveller who toured Spain at the end of the 19th century and whom we can include among the group of romantic travellers at that time. Let us clarify, for a better understanding of this surprising story, that Madame Dieulafoy often dressed as a man, especially when travelling through Arab countries. This pioneering feminist felt special admiration for other women of stature such as Isabel the Catholic, María de Padilla and the nun known simply as Alférez, and she always drew attention to the Spanish people's taste for blood and holding those involved in high regard.

María de Gaucín, the bullfighting nun, lived in the 18th century and took the Carmelite habit, but then left the convent to devote herself to the noble art of bullfighting. She distinguished herself for her courage, beauty and virtue. We do not know whether she fought still in the holy habit or with clothing more suited to these secular pursuits. After a few years of bullfighting throughout Spain, she returned to the peace of the convent. The nuns welcomed her with joy and delight, celebrating the echoes of her fame in the bullrings that had reached the doors of the convent. That is all we know about the bullfighting nun.

José María de Cossío himself includes this curious tale in his monumental encyclopaedia on bullfighting, although he thinks it is "probably a bit of a fable". The truth is that Gaucín is a town in the Serranía de Ronda with a significant bullfighting tradition and is the only place in Malaga province where bulls are let loose to run in the streets. This is the well-known 'toro de cuerda' of Gaucín, celebrated every Easter Sunday.

However, this pouring of cold water on the tale by Cossío, with his authoritative opinions, has not deterred researchers like Francis Prieto, who speculates that María de Gaucín may have been an orphaned girl taken in by the barefoot Carmelites. Indeed, the convent of nuns of this order is very close to Gaucín's bullring, where the nun might have taken her first steps as a bullfighter. This author gives us these original verses: "From Gaucín doña María / virtue, bravery and beauty / nicknamed the bullfighting nun/ for living in seclusion / who, before donning the habit/ went to try her luck / bullfighting in illustrious arenas / with skill and fame/ gaining celebrity status / as a female bullfighter, there is no other."

We are still waiting for some experienced historian to shed more light on this curious character.