Vaquero: Ranch Culture

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Vaquero: Ranch culture was an unknown lifestyle to the indigenous people of Central American until the Spanish arrived in Mexico at around 1519. During colonization, Spanish landowners began to teach Native Indians how to handle horses and cattle. Initially, Spanish nobility prohibited non-whites from horseback riding because they believed people of other racial backgrounds did not possess the proper skill set to safely handle the animal. However, the Spanish became desperate when the demands for ranch workers and manual labor continued to increase. As a result, Indians, Blacks and mestizos (mixed race- often the offspring of a Spaniard and Indian), were allowed to ride horses. (Slatta 1). By the early 1700's, cattle ranching became a somewhat common lifestyle for many Natives and …show more content…
Beginning in 1769, Franciscan missionaries planted missions from San Diego all the way up to San Francisco where many vaqueros settled, signifying the beginning of California's vast livestock industry. From this time up to around 1820, livestock production thrived in California and the vaqueros played an instrumental role in the lands early success. These riders were known for controlling huge roundups of cattle and were able to do so because of their proficiency at horsemanship and their roping skills. (Livingston 1). It is crucial to include the historic interaction between vaqueros and Anglo-Saxon cowboys. The vaqueros passed on their advanced riding techniques as well as their distinctive values on to American cowboys. Early European-American settlers had no open-range experience and adopted the vaqueros impressive practices as a means to cultivate the land. (Slatta 2). The vaqueros, the original cowboys, were vital to the growth of ranch life in Northern and Central America and their innovative techniques can still be observed in the modern livestock
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