Cowboy-ism in the U.S. had a colorful beginning right here in New Mexico. The Spanish vaqueros drove up to a half million sheep 1,800 miles from New Mexico to Chihuahua, Mexico, every year.
According to Donald Vasquez in Romancing the Old West, "In this country there is no better place to find the preservation of the old Spanish ways than New Mexico, as this state is well known for having been isolated hundreds of years by vast rugged distances and warring Indians. So well preserved are the origins of the American West that even the 15th century 'foundation' livestock scarcely available in other parts of the world thrive in New Mexico. You can still find descendants of the rugged, enduring, power house-in-a-small-package Spanish Barb horses, Churra sheep, and Corriente cattle."
Santa Fe has an annual rodeo. Here's the PETA-style view of the matter: http://www.bucktherodeo.com/wycd.html and the viewpoint of a woman who's been involved with rodeo all her life and seems reasonable: http://www.friendsofrodeo.com/aboutrodeo.html.
Cowboy fun facts:
- Gene Autry once said all modern-day cowboys are sissies.
- In Lapland, cowboys herd reindeer instead of cattle.
- The Spanish word for Bison is "bisonte" or "cibola." Hence, the cowboys who worked Bison were called Ciboleros.
