Spanish Vaquero Origin Of Today’s Cowboy/Rancher
The Spanish Colonial Vaquero, 1750 – 1850
The vaquero was responsible for looking after cattle and horse herds on the huge Spanish ranchos in what are now Mexico and the southwestern United States. Often he was the third, or even fourth, generation of his family to work on the rancho. Although the vaquero was considered common labor by the higher levels of Spanish society, because he was a skilled horseman, he had a freedom and a mobility that others did not. He also possessed a unique talent with a rope. The Spanish vaqueros created the tools, methods, and traditions on which the American cattle industry would be founded in the mid to late 1800s.
The Mexican Vaquero, 1850 – 1920
The Mexican Vaquero represented the transition between the Spanish vaquero and late-19th century American methods of cattle ranching. After Mexico’s defeat in the Mexican-American War, Americans took over the old ranchos in the Southwest. The invading Americans considered the owners political enemies and viewed their land holdings as the spoils of war. Rancho owners packed up and abandoned everything, including their vaqueros.
When Americans began moving west in large numbers after the Civil War, they found the land overrun by wild horses and long-horned cattle that the Mexican ranchers had abandoned. These Americans hired vaqueros, now known as Mexican Vaquero, to round up and brand these animals. Newly established American ranchers learned their horsemanship and herding skills from their Mexican Vaquero.
American Cowboy, 1880 – 1920
The American cowboy is probably one of the most misunderstood men of the West. As romanticized in numerous motion pictures, cowboys always seem to be larger than life. The truth, however, is far different from the movie myth. Most cowboys were very young. They had little education and made little money. The typical American cowboy seldom carried a gun.
The real American cowboy spent his life riding half-broken horses and taking care of wild cattle, under what would today be considered horrible conditions. He lived (and slept) outdoors, no matter the weather, and worked sixteen to eighteen hours a day, seven days a week, during spring and summer. There was little work for cowboys in fall and winter.
Arizona State Historical society
