Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez sparred with Secretary of State Marco Rubio this week over the origins of the American cowboy, sparking a broader conversation about Western history.
In criticizing a recent speech, Ocasio-Cortez took issue with what she claimed was Rubio’s claim that American cowboys came from Spain.
“My favorite part was when he said American cowboys came from Spain,” she said in criticizing Rubio’s speech. “I believe the descendants of Mexicans and enslaved African people would like to have a say in this.”
The comment quickly went viral, with experts weighing in on the hybrid origins of American cowboy culture.
cowboy heritage
According to the History Channel, cowboy culture in the United States can be traced back to the era of Spanish colonialism.
“Hundreds of years before there were cowboys in America, there were cowboys,” the book reads, referring to the skilled horsemen who emerged after the Spanish landed in what is now Mexico in 1519.
The first cowboys were “Central American native men who learned from Spanish colonists how to herd cattle on horseback,” according to the book.
According to independent historian Pablo A. Rangel, who has conducted extensive research on cowboy history, “American cowboys have centuries of forgotten riding history that keep cowboys rooted in the colonial past.”
The word “vaquero” itself comes from “vaca,” which is the Spanish word for “cow.” Cowboys played a vital role as Spain expanded its North American empire into what is now Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, and California. Cowboys tamed wild horses, weaved ropes, made saddles, and learned to master lassoing.
From lazo to lasso
Many cowboy traditions actually originate from the Spanish and Mexicans.
The word “lasso” itself comes from “lazo”, the Spanish word for “rope”. Early cowboy ropes were made of braided leather and horsehair. Cowboy roping skills are now an important part of rodeo competition.
These holsters also originate from “chaparreras”, which protect gear from “chaparral” (a type of southwestern shrubland).
As ranching expanded into what was then New Spain, cowboys also served as auxiliary forces in regional wars. Cowboys played an important role in missions, especially in California.
Integrated cultural heritage
Various cultures contributed to the development of cowboy culture, which later spread to the United States.
After Texas gained independence from Mexico and joined the United States in 1845, Anglo settlers took on ranching responsibilities. Mexicans still served as skilled workers on Texas ranches, training Anglo cowboys in their horse and cattle skills.
Historians estimate that as many as a quarter of all cowboys in the 19th century were black.
Performers such as Buffalo Bill Cody also incorporated Mexican cowboys into their Wild West tours, albeit in a rather romanticized, stereotypical way. Hollywood Westerns of the early 20th century began to depict cowboys as heroic white Americans rather than the multiracial groups that developed the practice.
“That’s when the cowboys became something else,” Rangel told the History Channel. “He became a racialized, vilified figure.”
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