Charreria

I recently went to a rodeo near our hometown. Every year, the rodeo celebrates some historical culture or group of people that contributed to rodeos. This year, I was pleased to see the main event was dedicated to the Mexican charro. The audience was enthralled as a fifth-generation charro came out and showed off his talents and his beautiful horse. He did some things with a rope that most people wouldn't even be able to dream of. This was definitely a celebration of Mexico in its fullest.

Most people believe that the rodeo originated in the old west with the cowboys. That is true to some extent, but the majority of the cowboys learned their skills from a Mexican charro or vaquero. In Mexico, charros were training their horses in order to help them do their daily chores on the expansive haciendas. There was much to be done, and a well trained horse often saved lots of time and effort. The present day rodeo events originated from tasks that had to be preformed to successfully raise livestock. However, they have been changed in a way so they are no longer cruel to the animals nor the cowboys.

In Mexico, the charreadas are quite different from American rodeos. Some of the events are similar, but not quite the same. Charros in Mexico wear a specific type of outfit which has come to be the traditional costume that Americans associate with Mexico. The outfit consists of a large, decorated sombrero, tight fitting pants, boots, spurs, and a short jacket. These are usually all decorated with intricate embrodery and often silver buckles. One of the events in a charreada is a demonstration of a charro's ability to control his horse with slight movements undetectable to those watching. The horse races down the arena, slides to a stop, backs up to where he started, and then spins around in circles. This spectacular display of partnership all takes place within a matter of seconds.

Mexicans take pride in their charros. They are well respected and hold a special place in the history and tradition of Mexico. This beautiful part of the culture knew no borders and crossed into the United States enriching our culture as well.

"http://www.puerto-vallarta.com/charreria..." El arte de la charreria - This article is available in English or Spanish. It describes in detail the history and events of the charreria. It has lots of pictures that help you to jump into the saddle yourself!

Go To Page: 1 2