Vaqueros: Modern Mexican Cowboys
Tara A. Spears
You don’t have to be a fan of John Wayne westerns or Mexican telenovels in order to admire the rugged figure of a cowboy. Modern society has been in love with the cowboy mystique since the 1950s. Let’s look behind the modern stereotype to learn about these mounted ranch hands. What’s the real story behind the vaqueros? Saddle up, partner.
Let’s ride to a time when wild horses galloped through harsh northwestern Mexico and the rugged terrain of the American southwest to meet up with the 21st century vaquero. Vaqueros are the backbone of Mexico, a person that the values of modern Mexican culture: a deep love of country, a profound commitment to family and community, and a reverence for land and tradition.
Did you know that the Mexican vaqueros invented much of the gear and cowboy attributes that are still used today? It was the vaquero who taught the gringos how to be expert horsemen and ranchers. As the role of the vaquero developed in Mexico, so did a unique culture. The skills that Mexican vaqueros prided themselves on began influencing non-Hispanic ranchers in the mid-1800s.
The tradition loving vaquero developed a distinct mindset for their way of life. The cowboy mentality is a unique and intriguing concept that has captured the imagination of people around the world. It is a way of life rooted in the values of hard work, determination, and self-reliance. Vaquero culture is a distinctive social subculture, a unique style of dress, and riding skills acquired over a lifetime of working with both horse and cattle.
These examples of vaquero sayings translated from Spanish illustrate the cowboy mindset: “Be respectful, even to hateful people, because your mama raised you better.” “A good horse always carries a good man.” “A golden bit does not make the horse any better.” The vaqueros or Charros lived in the rural area and haciendas of the country. The vaqueros, while not paid much, were the key workers on the ranch. They were responsible for protecting the herds, moving the cows to good pastures, as well as slaughtering, butchering cattle and processing their hides. In addition to creating the western style saddle, the vaqueros created a distinct wardrobe that was necessary in their work.
With slight individual and regional differences, the basic attire of the cowboy of the early 1900s is the wide-brimmed hat, a plain shirt under a cowboy vest and waistcoat, cotton or wool trousers, covered halfway with leather chaps, the distinctive tall boots with spurs, and the oversized silk bandana (mono) worn around the neck.
Vaqueros are king of the range and invented so much to improve their comfort and safety while working. Vaqueros came up with all of the cowboy lingo, including “bronco,” “lariat,” and “stampede” that were important to their challenging job. Vaqueros rode the long-haul cattle drives in the unrelenting sun so their sombreros were a necessity and became the precursor to cowboy hats. They wore chaps, had their boots made with heels to better stay in the stirrups and held rodeos to compete against neighboring ranches.
Compare the early hard- working vaqueros with the 21st century vaqueros:
All of the vaqueros interviewed asked not to be named but shared the same opinion: “I put in really hard days on a regular basis, but whether I’m sitting on a tractor, building a fence, working with the horses and cattle, or any other tasks needed, I enjoy most of my “chores”. It also helps that no day is ever boring or routine. There’s lots to be proud of!”
Today, one of the most notable traits of the Mexican character is love of the land. Ranching has a long history in this country and still attracts a large portion of the population as work. The best vaqueros have “cow sense,” the innate understanding of the way cattle think and move. They are masters of the lasso and ride as one with a horse. But the most important qualities of a good vaquero is admiration for tradition and independence.
Modern Mexico respects the traditions of the vaqueros whether they are participating in rodeo/charros, dressed up for going to town on a Saturday night, or working hard on a ranch. The monthly celebration of national pride is also a tribute to the humble vaquero. Viva Mexico!
