Catalonia - a northeastern region of Spain - bids farewell to the country's emblematic tradition of bullfighting with a final bash at the Barcelona bullring.
The sold-out Sunday evening event at the 20,000-seat Monumental ring – which starred Spain's No.1 matador Jose Tomas - was the last fight scheduled this season.
A regional ban on the bloody pastime takes effect Jan. 1, 2012.
The Catalan Parliament banned the spectacle in July 2010 following a signature-collection campaign by animal rights activists, but critics say the ban is less about animal welfare and more a snub to Spain by independence-minded Catalans.
Hours before the fight, a small group of anti-bullfight activists gathered outside the arena, celebrating with sparkling wine.
Nearby, people lined up to try buying last-minute tickets.
The prohibition caused a furore and triggered a nationwide debate over the centuries-old spectacle that inspired such artists and writers as Goya, Picasso and Hemingway.
"Banning bullfighting in Catalonia is nothing more than an attack on liberty," said Carlos Nunez - president of Mesa del Toro pro-bullfighting umbrella group, which is seeking 500,000 signatures in the hope it can persuade the Madrid national parliament to grant bullfighting cultural heritage status.
Animal rights activists, meanwhile, are triumphant.
"It's like a crack has developed in the armour plating (of bullfighting). It's a small crack but the protective shield might crumble altogether," said Leonardo Anselmi, a key promoter of the Catalan prohibition.
Catalonia is the second of Spain's 17 regions to ban bullfighting. The Canary Islands outlawed the practice in 1991 although it had never been a popular tradition there.
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