When Miguel González was a child, he practiced with a lasso every day to lasso some little calves and foals. He dreamed of being a real charro and being a representative of the Mexican national sport despite his father’s desires, who had other educational plans for González.
From that young age, González worked to continue the tradition that honors his ancestors: the charrería.
Charrería is the traditional and national sport of Mexico. Charrear, the word used to describe the action of the charrería, implies having a well equipped body for the traditional sport: good legs to ride a horse, good arms to maneuver and swing the lasso with and the luck that the sport demands.
In 2001, González’s father bought a piece of land in 2001 to make a lienzo (charrería stage), the first known to be in Nebraska. As a result of this, González practiced charrería even more — but he injured his back in a car accident that prevented him from continuing.
Although the charrería gave participants a chance to celebrate and revive Mexican culture, the sport faced many criticisms. In 2000, animal rights groups began to speak out against the sport for its treatment of animals. At the same time, the United States rodeo continued to be practiced in the state.
“That’s where the acts of discrimination began,” said González, now 44. At that time, González, along with other charros like Ricardo Chaires, were fighting to object to the new measures against Mexican tradition.
History of the charrería
It is said that the charrería was born in Salamanca, Spain, in the 16th century. When the Spaniards arrived in Mexican territory, they rode on horseback with their typical costumes, garments the indigenous people of the region who worked with them were prohibited from wearing.
In Hidalgo, rural life gained strength and indigenous Mexicans began to practice lassoing cattle. Then they were allowed to ride horses, and they began to be called charro, which means horseman in the Basque language (a language spoken in Spain).
In 1933 charrería was declared a national sport in Mexico and a Charrería Federation was established that dictated the rules of the land where it was practiced, male and female clothing, types of animals used among other accessories within the practice.
In Nebraska, charro practices began around 1970 when Mexican immigration grew under the promise of finding work with low wages that were still higher than the Mexican peso. At that time, discriminatory policies began in the use of manganas — rope to link made with maguey leaves — and all events related to charrería, but keeping the American rodeo intact.
In 2016 the charrería obtained the title of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, and it is practiced legally and federated in 14 states of the country. In Nebraska it was federated from 2013 to 2015, González commented.
Family Tradition
To practice charrería it is essential to be registered with the Mexican Charrería Federation. It is practiced with teams of 15 when it is a federated event, but six if it is a friendly. In Nebraska there are not enough participants, many have had to go to other states like Iowa or Kansas to practice the sport.
Regardless of whether it is an official event or not, Mexico’s second national anthem, the Zacatecas march, is always played. Then each member of the team practices a “suerte”, directly translated to luck, or a competition. The sport is broken up into nine in total “suertes”.
1. Cala de Caballo: the demonstration of horsemanship is made.
2. Piales en Lienzo: charros link a mare by the hind legs
3. Colas en el Lienzo: He submits to a bull by the tail.
4. Escaramuza, or Skirmish: If there are any, the women demonstrate their skill on horseback
5. Jineteo de Toro: known as bull riding.
6. Terna en el Ruedo: in teams of three, riders control a young bull
7. Jineteo de Yegua, or Mare Riding.
8. Manganas on foot or on horseback: Charros make figures with the mangana rope.
9. El Paso de la Muerte, The Passage of Death: the rider without a saddle tries to pass from one horse to another while they are running.
In Omaha the event can last for days and brings together families. It has no commercial value — everything is organized with the contribution of the charros.
A Prohibited Practice
Author Laura Barracloud explains in her book Charros: How Mexican Cowboys Are Remapping Race and American Identity how, starting in the year 2000, animal rights groups and lobbies worked to make charrería illegal in Nebraska, completely omitting that it was a sport.
A simple Google search shows the difference between the concepts of charrería and the American rodeo in the United States. The first is defined as a show, while the second is considered a sport.
In Omaha a dispute arose over horse-tripping. In July 2007, the Nebraska Humane Society (NHS) had found five malnourished horses in Omaha on the ranch owned by charro Armando Pliego, who paid a $900 fine. This gave rise to the NHS lobby beginning to ban manganas, piales and coleadores as they were considered “more painful and dangerous for the animal than in the American rodeo events”, describes the author.
The rope of the mangana is soft and since the animal’s legs slide and release quickly, the animal does not suffer, according to González.
Throughout the lawsuit, the county of the city of Omaha, and some members of the Nebraska state legislature, avoided at all costs that the Mexicans present modifications in those lots to demonstrate that they did not harm the animals.
Republican Senator Deb Fischer introduced Legislative Bill 865, the Livestock Animal Welfare Act, in which it was not considered acceptable practice to pull the legs of an equine animal. Senator Abbie Cornett described that despite the changes made in the lots, the animal could stumble and fall. It is worth noting that the law mentions horses and not bovines.
In July 2010, Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman signed the bill into law.
González comments that in other states the charrería is still alive, and that it is the legacy of Mexico to the United States. In 2016, one of the last charrería events was held in Omaha, in which González participated together with Ricardo Chaire, who was president of the federation in Nebraska, and Sergio Robles, who has contributed to the recognition of charrería in Nebraska.
González trusts that the new generations will keep this Mexican sport alive in the United States.