Cowboys

What is the first thing you think of when you hear America? For me, it is Cowboys and Rodeo. Whenever you visit America, there are at least one or two people wearing cowboy hats, bootcut jeans, fancy knee-high horse-riding boots, and a belt with a buckle that is the size of their hand. On County Fair days, these cowboys would be riding horses or showing off their cows and pigs.

The funny thing is that Cowboys did not actually originate from the United States. The cowboy culture first originated in Spain and Mexico, where people often lived a vaquero lifestyle, which was for local horsemen and ranch workers in Mexico. These traditions were brought to the Americas when New Spain (Mexico) settlers brought these methods in the 1500s. Then, why are cowboys American culture, not Mexican culture?

Even though people from Spain and Mexico came and taught the Americans how to ride and take care of horses, after the Mexican-American War, the American settlers directly absorbed Mexican cattle-handling methods. After some years of American expansion, these settlers finally absorbed the cowboy culture entirely and made it their own. So now, when you visit America, look closely at the people, and you will find a lot of people actually dressed like cowboys!