Vaquero culture and the origins of American cowboys

Vaqueros

In some sense Vaqueros embodied both the cowboy and the Indian. What do I mean by this, and given their multicultural roots, how do you think cowboy identity transformed into what it is today?

Vaquero culture fused Spanish, Mexican, Indian, and finally Anglo influences. Franciscan missionaries had trained mission Indians and half-Indians in Spanish herding tactics (Iber, 2000). Many of these Indians used their knowledge to operate outside the law and "preyed upon unbranded cattle that roamed the vast estates of northern Mexico" (Jackson, 2000). According to historian Jorge Iber, by the 16th century in the Southwest, the proliferation of livestock enabled these horsemen, now known as Vaqueros to make considerable profits from these unbranded animals, legally and illegally. Thus, the legend of the Vaquero was born.

Because they were usually mestizo or half-Hispanic, half-Indians, the socially and culturally undefined Vaqueros occupied some of the lowest rungs of the social ladder on a ranch, "but they were invariably noted for their horsemanship and stock-tending skills," as the Anglo cowboy would later be romanticized as a skilled horseman who had little use for social graces (Jackson, 2000). The Indian desire to live in defiance of White property rules combined with Spanish equestrian knowledge made the Vaqueros skilled cow rustlers of the highest order, and eventually Anglo ranchers sought to learn from their example.

As ranching made its way north to Texas through the tier of provinces along the Rio Grande, "the Vaquero's saddle, chaps, bandana, sombrero, lasso, spurs, and even elements of his expertise were so widespread that they lost their Hispanic identity," and the once unfettered Vaqueros began to adopt some of the fenced-in customs of Anglo farmers.