The encierro - “running of the bulls” - happens in the city of Pamplona, Spain, every summer during the Festival of San Fermin. Festivities, fireworks, and, of course, bullfights mark this nine-day long celebration from July 6th to July 14th. The above photos of Spanish matadors before and during bullfights are culled from The Atlantic’s In Focus; their captions are below:

• Spanish Matador Javier Rubio, before a bullfight in the San Fermin festival at Pamplona’s bullring on July 8, 2012. (Pedro Armestre/AFP/Getty Images)
• Spanish bullfighter Roberto Armendariz kneels in front of a bull during a horseback bullfight on Friday, July 6, 2012. (AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos)
• Spanish bullfighter Fernando Robleno performs with a Miura’s ranch fighting bull during a bullfight in Pamplona, on July 8, 2012. (AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa de Olza)
• Spanish bullfighter Rafaelillo performs with a Miura’s ranch fighting bull during a bullfight in the San Fermin festival, in Pamplona, on July 8, 2012. (AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa de Olza)