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'{{Short description|Traditional horseman of Mexico}} {{distinguish|Charo}} {{for multi|the 1969 Western film starring Elvis Presley|Charro!|the Elvis Presley song|Charro (song)|the Mexican baseball team|Charros de Jalisco}} {{more footnotes needed|date=March 2010}} [[File:Charros 2.jpg|thumb|Charro at the charrería event at the San Marcos National Fair in [[Aguascalientes City]]]] [[File:CharroOutfitsNoreste15.JPG|thumb|Female and male charro regalia, including ''[[sombreros]] de charro'']] [[File:Charro Mexicano (1828).jpg|thumbnail|right|Mexican Charro (1828). Originally, the term "Charro" was a derogatory name for the Mexican Rancheros, the inhabitants of the countryside. The term is synonymous with the English terms: "[[Yokel]]", "hick", "country bumpkin", or "rube".]] '''''Charro''''', in Mexico, is historically the horseman from the countryside, the Ranchero, who lived and worked in the [[haciendas]] and performed all his tasks on horseback, working mainly as [[vaqueros]] and caporales, among other jobs.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Pérez Benavides |first1=Amada Carolina |title=Actores, Escenarios y Relaciones Sociales en Tres Publicaciones Periódicas Mexicanas de Mediados del Siglo XIX. |journal=Historia Mexicana |date=2007 |volume=56 |issue=4 |page=1189 |url=https://historiamexicana.colmex.mx/index.php/RHM/article/view/1636/1454 |access-date=16 June 2024 |publisher=El Colegio de México |language=Spanish}}</ref> He was renowned for his superb horsemanship, for his skill in handling the lasso, and for his unique costume designed specially for horseback riding. Today, this name is given to someone who practices ''[[charreada]]'' (similar to a [[rodeo]]), considered the national sport of Mexico which maintains traditional rules and regulations in effect from colonial times up to the [[Mexican Revolution]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.decharros.com/federacion/downs/Reglamento%20General%20Competencia%20FMCH.pdf |title=''REGLAMENTO GENERAL DE COMPETENCIAS'' |access-date=2016-05-11 |archive-date=2010-11-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101120114312/http://decharros.com/federacion/downs/Reglamento%20General%20Competencia%20FMCH.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> ==Etymology== The word ''charro'' (syn. ''charrar, charra'') was first documented in Spain in the book "Vocabulario de refranes y frases proverbiales" (1627) by Gonzalo Correas as a synonym of dumb or stupid person.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Correas |first1=Gonzalo |last2=Mir |first2=Miguel |title=Vocabulario de refranes y frases proverbiales y otras fórmulas comunes de la lengua castellana en que van todos los impresos antes y otra gran copia que juntó el maestro Gonzalo Correas |date=1906 |publisher=Estab. tip. de J. Ratés |page=284 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i7dAAQAAIAAJ&q=Charros |access-date=26 February 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Medina Miranda |first1=Hector Manuel |title=LOS CHARROS EN ESPAÑA Y MÉXICO. ESTEREOTIPOS GANADEROS Y VIOLENCIA LÚDICA |date=2009 |publisher=Universidad de Salamanca |page=97 |url=https://gredos.usal.es/bitstream/handle/10366/83186/III_MedinaMirandaHM_LoscharrosenEspa%F1a.pdf;jsessionid=C56F46FD11E24B7D2715EE5BBBBADD25?sequence=1 |access-date=26 February 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.cervantesvirtual.com/obra/vocabulario-de-refranes-y-frases-proverbiales-y-otras-formulas-comunes-de-la-lengua-castellana---van-anedidas-las-declaraciones-y-aplicacion-adonde-parecio-ser-necesaria-al-cabo-se-ponen-las-frases-mas-llenas-y-copiosas/ | title=Vocabulario de refranes y frases proverbiales y otras fórmulas comunes de la lengua castellana ... : Van añedidas las declaraciones y aplicación adonde pareció ser necesaria, al cabo se ponen las frases más llenas y copiosas | year=1924 | last1=Correas | first1=Gonzalo }}</ref> More than one hundred years later, in 1729, in the first dictionary of the Spanish language edited by the [[Real Academia Española]], the "Diccionario de Autoridades" ''charro'' was defined as: {{quote|The uneducated and unpolished person, raised in a place of little policing. In the Court, and in other places, they give this name to any person from the countryside.<ref>{{cite book |title=Diccionario de la lengua castellana |date=1729 |publisher=Imprenta de Francisco de Hierro |location=Madrid |page=311 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i2ap_KVYm4UC&q=Charro |access-date=26 February 2022}}</ref>}} The first edition of the Real Academia dictionary published in 1780, kept that original definition, defining ''charro'' as: "the rough and rustic person, as the villagers tend to be"; but they would add a second meaning for the first time: "adjective that is applied to some things that are too laden with decoration and in bad taste".<ref>{{cite book |title=Diccionario de la lengua castellana |date=1780 |publisher=Joaquín Ibarra de la Real Academia |page=221 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_HhaAAAAYAAJ&q=Charro |access-date=26 February 2022}}</ref> Thus, it was a derogatory term applied to country people because they’re perceived as ignorant, rough and unsophisticated, and to things that were too laden in decoration but in bad taste. Synonymous with the English terms: [[yokel]], ''bumpkin'', boor, ''hick'', ''gaudy'' and ''garish'' Spanish-English dictionaries like the "Diccionario Español e Inglés" (1786) defined Charro as: "rustic, country like".<ref>{{cite book |last1=Baretti |first1=Giuseppe |title=Diccionario español e ingles |date=1786 |publisher=A costa de Piestre y Delamolliere |location=London |page=162 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IH_Jzgb4hXkC&q=Charro |access-date=26 February 2022}}</ref> While the 1802 "A New Dictionary of the Spanish and English Languages" defined it as: "a clownish, coarse, ill-bred person" and "Gaudy, loaded with ornaments in a tasteless and paltry manner".<ref>{{cite book |last1=Neuman |first1=Henry |title=A New Dictionary of the Spanish and English Languages: Spanish and English |date=1802 |publisher=Vernor and Hood |location=London |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9o04AAAAYAAJ&q=Charro |access-date=26 February 2022}}</ref> In 1745, the Basque Jesuit, [[:es: Manuel Larramendi|Manuel Larramendi]], argued that the word was of [[Basque language|Basque]] origin and that it meant a "vile and despicable thing" and wrote that country people and villagers were called that out of contempt.<ref>{{cite book |last1=de Larramendi |first1=Manuel |title=Diccionario trilingue del Castellano, Bascuence y Latin. San-Sebastian, Riesgo y Montero 1745 Volume 2 |date=1745 |publisher=Riesgo y Montero |location=Ciudad de San Sebastián |page=195 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=p81JAAAAcAAJ&q=Charro |access-date=26 February 2022}}</ref> While the historian and philosopher [[Antonio de Capmany y Montpalau]], argued that the origin of the word was [[Arabic]] and that it originally meant "bad of moral malice and of customs" passing on to the Spanish to mean artistic malice, thus something "charro" is the same as something ''gaudy'' and ''tasteless''.<ref>{{cite book |title=Diario curioso, erudito, economico y comercial |date=1787 |publisher=Imprenta Manuel González |page=727 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lvSgkD68EeAC&q=Charro%20 |access-date=26 February 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Capmany y Montpalau |first1=Antonio |title=Museo Histórico, que comprende los principales sucesos de España y el estranjero, como asimismo toda la parte artística y monumental de los principales paises Volume 1 |date=1858 |publisher=J. Casas y Díaz |page=409 |edition=1st |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=soztOky-ZdoC&q=Charro%20arábigo |access-date=26 February 2022}}</ref> In Mexico, since the 18th century, the term ''charro'' was applied in a derogatory manner to the ''Rancheros'', the inhabitants of the countryside and [[haciendas]] who carried out all their tasks on horseback, because, as country people, they were perceived as ignorant, crude and unsophisticated. Over time, the word evolved being redefined in Mexico, going from being a derogatory adjective to a noun, synonymous with ''Ranchero'' or vaquero, and "great horsema". In 1850, the Spanish historian and writer based in Mexico, [[Niceto de Zamacois]], defined what ''Charro'' was in Mexico, as:<ref>{{cite book |last1=Zamacois |first1=Niceto de |title=Los Misterios de México: Poema escrito en variedad de metros · Volume 1 |date=1850 |publisher=Imprenta de Vicente G. Torres |location=México |page=205 |url= https://www.google.com/books/edition/Los_misterios_de_Mexico/imQlK6AG-hkC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=charros+gente+del+campo&pg=PA205&printsec=frontcover|access-date=3 September 2023}}</ref> {{quote|Charros: gente del campo que se compone mucho para montar á caballo (country people who are very well formed to ride a horse).}} ==Origins== [[File:Nebel Voyage 02 Rancheros.jpg|thumbnail|right|1830's Charros, from ''Voyage pittoresque et archéologique dans la partie la plus intéressante du Mexique''. 1834]] [[File:Generales del Trigarante.jpg|thumb|right|After the Mexican War of Independence was over one of the major generals Agustín de Iturbide rides into Mexico City victoriously with his generals many of which were charros that served in his army.]] The Viceroyalty of [[New Spain]] had prohibited Native Americans from riding or owning horses, with the exception of the [[Tlaxcaltec]] nobility, other allied chieftains, and their descendants. However, cattle raising required the use of horses, for which farmers would hire [[cowboy]]s who were preferably [[mestizo]] and, rarely, [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|Indians]]. Some of the requirements for riding a horse were that one had to be employed by a plantation, had to use saddles that differed from those used by the military, and had to wear leather clothing from which the term ''"cuerudo"'' (leathered one) originated. Over time landowners and their employees, starting with those living in the [[Mexican Plateau]] and later the rest of the country, adapted their cowboy style to better suit the Mexican terrain and temperature, evolving away from the Spanish style of cattle raising. After the [[Mexican War of Independence]] horse riding grew in popularity. Many riders of mixed race became mounted mercenaries, messengers and plantation workers. Originally known as [[:es:Chinaco|Chinacos]], these horsemen later became the modern "vaqueros"{{Citation needed|date=July 2021}}. Wealthy plantation owners would often acquire decorated versions of the distinctive Charro clothing and horse harness to display their status in the community. Poorer riders would also equip their horses with harness made from [[agave]] or would border their saddles with [[chamois]] skin. == Mexican War of Independence and the 19th century == [[File:Mexico - Rurales. (21842427026).jpg|thumb|right|Two policemen of the [[rurales]] in charro style uniform c1890. Photo [[Abel Briquet]]]] [[File:Barcelonnette - Musée de la Vallée (57) (54).jpg|thumb|Saddle of a charro (Mexico, 19th century)]] As the [[Mexican War of Independence]] began in 1810 and continued for the next 11 years, charros were very important soldiers on both sides of the war. Many [[hacienda]]s, or Spanish owned estates, had a long tradition of gathering their best charros as a small militia for the estate to fend off bandits and marauders. When the War for Independence started, many haciendas had their own armies in an attempt to fend off early struggles for independence.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Nájera-Ramírez|first=Olga|date=1994|title=Engendering Nationalism: Identity, Discourse, and the Mexican Charro|journal=Anthropological Quarterly|volume=67|issue=1|pages=1–14|doi=10.2307/3317273|jstor=3317273}}</ref> After independence was achieved in 1821, political disorder made law and order hard to establish throughout much of Mexico. Large bands of bandits plagued the early 19th century as a result of lack of legitimate ways for social advance. One of the most notable gang was called "the silver ones" or the "plateados"; these thieves dressed as traditional wealthy charros, adorning their clothing and saddles with much silver, channeling the elite horseman image.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Nájera-Ramírez|first=Olga|date=1994|title=Engendering Nationalism: Identity, Discourse, and the Mexican Charro|journal=Anthropological Quarterly|volume=67|issue=1|pages=1–14|doi=10.2307/3317273|jstor=3317273}}</ref> The bandit gangs would disobey or buy out government, establishing their own profit and rules. Towards the mid 19th century, however, President [[Benito Juárez|Juárez]] established the "[[rurales]]" or mounted rural police to crack down on gangs and enforce national law across Mexico. It was these [[rurales]] that helped to establish the charro look as one of manhood, strength, and nationhood.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WdzY7YjhRroC&q=mexican+charros&pg=PR11|title=Chicano Folklore: A Guide to the Folktales, Traditions, Rituals and Religious Practices of Mexican Americans|last=Castro|first=Rafaela|date=2000|publisher=OUP USA|isbn=9780195146394|language=en}}</ref> During the [[Second Mexican Empire]], [[Maximilian I of Mexico]] reigned as [[Emperor of Mexico|emperor]] and liked to wear a charro suit as the [[national costume]] to ingratiate himself with his subjects. He was an avid and skilled horsemen and impressed by the local charros. Emperor Maximilian himself designed the elegant all black charro traje, or costume, as acceptable attire for formal occasions, which the charros and mariachi ensembles by extension still use in modern days.<ref>Sands, K. M. (1993). Charrería Mexicana: An Equestrian Folk Tradition. United States: University of Arizona Press. Pg.59</ref> Charros were quickly seen as national heroes as Mexican politicians in the late 19th century pushed for the romanticized charro lifestyle and image as an attempt to unite the nation after the conservative and liberal clashes. ==Early twentieth-century usage== [[File:Emiliano Zapata.tiff|thumb|right|[[Emiliano Zapata]] wearing a ''charro'' suit]] Prior to the Mexican Revolution of 1910, the distinctive ''charro'' suit, with its sombrero, [[sarape]], heavily embroidered jacket and tightly cut trousers, was widely worn by men of the affluent upper classes on social occasions, especially when on horseback.<ref>pages 27-28, "The City of Mexico in the Age of Diaz", Michael Johns, {{ISBN|978-0-292-74048-8}}</ref> A light grey version, with silver embroidery and buttons, served as the uniform of the [[rurales]] (mounted rural police).<ref>Paul J.Vanderwood, pages 54-55 "Disorder and Progress - Bandits, Police, and Mexican Development", {{ISBN|0-8420-2438-7}}</ref> However, the most notable example of 'charrería' is General [[Emiliano Zapata]] who was known before the revolution as a skilled rider and horse tamer. Although it is said that charros came from the states of [[Jalisco]] in [[Mexico]], it was not until the 1930s that charrería became a rules sport, as rural people began moving towards the cities. During this time, paintings of charros also became popular. During World War II, an army of 150,000 charros was created, the "Legión de Guerrilleros Mexicanos", in anticipation of an eventual attack of German forces. It was led by [[Antolin Jimenez Gamas]], president of the National Association of Charros, a former soldier of [[Pancho Villa]] during the [[Mexican Revolution]] who climbed the ranks to [[Army ranks and insignia of Mexico#Jefes|Lieutenant Colonel]] in the Personal Guard of Villa's ''[[Pancho Villa#Assassination in 1923|Dorados]]''. ==Use of term== Although the word ''charro'' was a originally just a derogatory term for country people, synonymous with English words [[yokel]] or bumpkin, and gaudy, it evolved, becoming a demonym for the people of the [[province of Salamanca]], in Spain, also known by [[Campo Charro]], especially in the area of [[Alba de Tormes]], [[Vitigudino]], [[Ciudad Rodrigo]] and [[Ledesma, Salamanca|Ledesma]];<ref name="DRAE">''[http://buscon.rae.es/draeI/SrvltGUIBusUsual?TIPO_HTML=2&TIPO_BUS=3&LEMA=charro charro]'' in the ''[[Diccionario de la Real Academia Española]]</ref> and a noun synonymous with the name ''Ranchero'', the horse mounted people of the Mexican countryside. In other places in Latin America, it retained its original derogatory meaning. In Puerto Rico, ''charro'' is a generally accepted slang term to mean that someone or something is obnoxiously out of touch with social or style norms, similar to the United States usage of ''{{Not a typo|dork(y)}}'', (i.e gaudy). The traditional Mexican ''charro'' is known for colorful clothing and participating in {{lang|es|coleadero y}} ''[[charreada]]'', a specific type of [[Mexican rodeo]]. The charreada is the national sport in Mexico, and is regulated by the ''[[Federación Mexicana de Charrería]]''. ==In cinema== The "charro film" was a [[genre]] of the [[Golden Age of Mexican cinema]] between 1935 and 1959, and probably played a large role in popularizing the charro, akin to what occurred with the advent of the American [[Western (genre)|Western]]. The most notable charro stars were [[José Alfredo Jiménez]], [[Pedro Infante]], [[Jorge Negrete]], [[Antonio Aguilar]], and [[Tito Guizar]].<ref>p. 6 Figueredo, Danilo H. ''Revolvers and Pistolas, Vaqueros and Caballeros: Debunking the Old West'' ABC-CLIO, 9 Dec 2014</ref> == Modern day == In all the states of Mexico – and in some US states such as [[California]], [[Texas]], and [[Illinois]] – charros participate in tournaments to show off their skill either in team competition [[charreada]], or in individual competition such as [[coleadero]]. These events are practiced in a [[Lienzo charro]]. Some decades ago, charros in [[Mexico]] were permitted to carry guns. In conformity with current law, the charro must be fully suited and be a fully pledged member of Mexico's [[Federación Mexicana de Charrería]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.diputados.gob.mx/LeyesBiblio/pdf/102.pdf |title=Ley Federal de Armas de Fuego y Explosivos (Articulo 10 Seccion VII) |access-date=May 5, 2015 |author=Camara de Diputados |publisher=Secretaria de Gobernacion |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150514124333/http://www.diputados.gob.mx/LeyesBiblio/pdf/102.pdf |archive-date=May 14, 2015 }}]</ref> ==See also== *[[Charro Days]] *[[Charro outfit]] *[[Sombrero]] *[[Sombrero Festival]] *[[Frijoles charros]] ==References== <references /> ==External links== {{Commons category}} *[https://web.archive.org/web/20100131205728/http://www.nationalcowboymuseum.org/events/event.aspx?ID=127 Arte en la Charerria: The Artisanship of Mexican Equestrian Culture] at the [https://web.archive.org/web/20100131205728/http://www.nationalcowboymuseum.org/events/event.aspx?ID=127 National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, Oklahoma City] *[https://web.archive.org/web/20041211172820/http://www.museumoftheamericanwest.org/explore/exhibits/charreria.html Art of the Charrería] at the [https://web.archive.org/web/20041111040611/http://www.museumoftheamericanwest.org/museum/ Museum of the American West] *{{Handbook of Texas|id=llc04|name=Charrería}} *{{Handbook of Texas|id=lkc02|name=Charro Days}} *[https://web.archive.org/web/20051218073544/http://www.mexicodesconocido.com.mx/english/cultura_y_sociedad/fiestas_y_tradiciones/detalle.cfm?idsec=15&idsub=65&idpag=788 Charreria, the symbol of Mexico] *[http://www.decharros.com/federacion/index.htm Federación Mexicana de Charrería (Spanish)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090220172316/http://decharros.com/federacion/index.htm |date=2009-02-20 }} *[http://www.nacionaldecharros.com/ Nacional de Charros (Spanish)] *[http://www.mundocharro.com/events/usa/evento_reglamento_charro_inicio_2004.htm Official Rulebook (Spanish)] *[http://www.charrousa.com "CHARRO USA" U.S. Radio, Magazine and Media News off Charreria (Mexican Rodeo)] {{Mounted stock herders}} *[https://www.facebook.com/CharroUP/] *[https://fmcharreria.org.mx/] [[Category:Animal husbandry occupations]] [[Category:Charreada]] [[Category:Horse-related professions and professionals]] [[Category:Culture of Mexico]] [[Category:Sport in Mexico]] [[Category:Pastoralists]] [[Category:National symbols of Mexico]] [[Category:Horse history and evolution]] [[Category:Western (genre) staples and terminology]]'