Every year, just before Mexico’s Independence Day, Guadalajara celebrates El Dia de Charro (Charro Day). Charros are Mexican horsemen and women (also called vaqueros) and El Dia de Charro is a day to recognize and celebrate charros and all those who participate in Charreadas (rodeos). This nationwide celebration began in 1934. It was added to the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list in 2016.

In Guadalajara, the Charro Day parade consists of mariachi music, riding skill demonstrations and the colorful costumes of the charros.

The parade featured small children riding horses and demonstrating their skill with the lasso because families have a tradition of charreada and compete generation after generation. For these families, charreada is a way of life and children as young as three years old begin to master riding, roping, and lasso.

History

The history of the charro and charreada date back to the 17^th and 18^th centuries and originated when farmhands working with cattle and horses began competing against each other to test their skills. The original competitions tested the skills of lassoing horses and bulls, breaking wild horses and catching runaway cattle. Bull-riding and Paso de la Muerte (Step of Death) competitions have been added to modern-day charreada.

Charros dress traditionally in a style which dates back to a law imposed by the Spanish that indigenous people were forbidden to dress similarly to the Spanish. This law gave rise to the fashion worn by the Mexican charros which consist of tight-fitting clothes made from leather and suede, embroidered with beautiful designs. The look is finished off with the iconic wide-brimmed sombrero traditionally made from horse and rabbit hair. There are a variety of suits worn for different occasions and competitions.

La Charreada

We were interested to see a charreada after seeing the parade and went to Campo Charro Jalisco, one of many arenas in Guadalajara. On this day, the team “3 Regalos de Cancun” was competing against the home Jalisco team. When we arrived, a mass for the teams and support personnel at the rodeo chapel was in progress.

We had no knowledge of U.S. rodeos and didn’t know what to expect. The rodeo began with team introductions and a parade around the arena to show off their horses, costumes and colorful suits.

For each of the competitions, points are awarded by a judge and the team with the most points wins. Seems easy but points are not displayed, and we had no idea how points were awarded. So, we concentrated on the competition and skills displayed by the charros.

The Events

The competition consisted of these events. Each event showed off the skill of the charro.

Cala de Caballo (Test of the horse)

The charro puts his horse through various commands to demonstrate his ability and the horse’s training. Controlled slide left and right half, full, and triple turns, dismount and mount, and reverse walk are performed.

Colas en el Lienzo (Steer Tailing)

The charro rides alongside the left side of the bull, wraps its tail around his right leg, and tries to bring the bull down and causes it to roll over as he rides past it.

El Paso de la Muerte (The Pass of Death)

A charro riding bareback, with reins, attempts to leap from his own horse to the bare back of a loose, unbroken horse without reins and ride it until it stops bucking. The loose horse is chased around the arena ring by three mounted charros.

Depending on the teams competing and skill level, there are other events that may be performed as part of the competition. In large competitions of many teams, mariachi bands perform during the competition. There are also events for female riders.

After two hours of competition “3 Regalos de Cancun” won. It may have been a competition, but to us, it was a friendly display of horsemanship, sportsmanship and a time to appreciate the cowboy culture of the state of Jalisco, Mexico.