In the Days of the Vaqueros: America's First True Cowboys

by Russell Freedman

In this rousing account of the first true cowboys, Newbery Medalist Russell Freedman brings to life the days when the vaqueros rounded up cattle, brought down steers, and tamed wild broncos. In the service of wealthy Spanish conquistadors in the sixteenth century, Mexican ranch hands began herd- ing cattle, often riding barefoot. They soon developed and perfected the skills for this dangerous work and became expert horsemen. Hundred of years later the vaqueros shared their expertise with the inexperienced cowboys of the American West, who adopted their techniques and their distinctive clothing, tools, and even lingo. Yet today it is the cowboy whom we remember, while the vaquero has all but disappeared from history.
The vaqueros are at last given their due in this dramatic narrative, lushly illustrated with beautiful period paintings and drawings.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Childrens, Historical, American History

70 pages, Hardcover

First published October 15, 2001

About the author

Russell A. Freedman was an American biographer and the author of nearly 50 books for young people. He may be known best for winning the 1988 Newbery Medal with his work Lincoln: A Photobiography.

He grew up in San Francisco and attended the University of California, Berkeley, and then worked as a reporter and editor for the Associated Press and as a publicity writer. His nonfiction books ranged in subject from the lives and behaviors of animals to people in history. Freeedman's work has earned him several awards, including a Newbery Honor each for Eleanor Roosevelt: A Life of Discovery in 1994 and The Wright Brothers: How They Invented the Airplane in 1992, and a Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal.

Freedman traveled extensively throughout the world to gather information and inspiration for his books. His book, Confucius: The Golden Rule was inspired by his extensive travels through Mainland China, where he visited Confucius' hometown in modern day QuFu, in the Shantung Province.

Reviews

[Josiah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Arguably the twentieth century's most distinguished nonfiction author for kids, Russell Freedman wrote on topics ranging from world history to the natural sciences, but a subject he returned to repeatedly was the old American West. Children of the Wild West (1983), Indian Chiefs (1987), Buffalo Hunt (1988), and The Life and Death of Crazy Horse (1996) are a few of his titles in this vein, and In the Days of the Vaqueros: America's First True Cowboys (2001) was his final book to delve into that era of American history. Centuries before cowboys roamed the United States, emissaries from Spain landed in the New World and created the conditions for cowboy culture to arise. After conquistadores eliminated the Aztec Empire, settlers imported large numbers of livestock from Spain to Mexico, and ranches sprang up across the land. Indians who lived in the territory were expected to work as ranch hands, herding cattle and wild horses over a radius of hundreds of miles. They had little choice but to obey the wealthy Spanish colonists.

Prestigious encomenderos rose to prominence, men who depended on the Indians—called Vaqueros—to maintain their ranches for them. The vaquero became a disciplined professional, skilled at tracking down horses and livestock across frontier wilderness. They were peóns, in lifelong debt to their encomendero bosses with no means to build independent financial security. Full cattle roundups started on the Mexican frontier in the early 1500s, rodeos that saw thousands of cattle be branded for use by ranch owners. Vaqueros invented tools to make their dangerous herding work easier. Desjarretaderas, or hocking knives, were used for slaughtering cattle, but vaqueros eventually turned instead to the la reata, a term anglicized over time to become "lariat." Vaqueros could toss the knotted rope to snare cattle rather than pierce them with a hocking knife. Though he rarely received adequate pay for the risks of his job, the vaquero didn't complain about his lot in life.

Spanish influence on Mexico expanded in the 1700s. Hacienda ranch estates were owned by wealthy, powerful hacendados. These men lived in homes featuring the finest luxuries available in the New World, but the vaqueros who labored for them remained poor. With no economic mobility to speak of, vaqueros passed their profession from one generation to the next, training their children to ride before they could speak. In 1821 Mexico declared independence from Spain, and large swaths of land became available to Mexican citizens throughout the northern part of the country and what would later be California. Rancho estates in California used vaquero labor, and theirs were said to be the world's finest riders. In both California and Mexico, vaqueros evolved a practical, iconic dress code for dealing with long months on the dusty trail herding livestock. Over a lifetime of service, vaqueros developed a bowlegged walk from sitting in the saddle all day, but if you saw one on a horse, his graceful movements were peerless. Disrespected though they often were by their bosses, vaqueros were masters of their profession.

Life on the range wasn't all hardship. Vaqueros engaged in lighthearted sporting contests to put their skills to the test, and took pride in proving themselves the best among their brethren. Tailing bulls, riding bucking broncos, and other rodeo games were the height of entertainment for vaqueros. The men gathered around campfires on starry nights to swap ghost stories, a tradition that persists to this day. Life as a vaquero remained unchanged for hundreds of years, until land wars eventually resulted in large portions of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, California, and other regions being ceded to the United States. Americans hired vaqueros to come work the land and teach them their time-honored techniques. The cowboy era in the U.S. came into its own with the advent of railroad travel, which enabled ranchers to ship cattle as far as the Eastern Seaboard, a previously inaccessible market. For a few decades at the end of the nineteenth century, cowboy culture flourished in the U.S., but modern inventions gradually phased most of them out of the workforce. The cowboy was now of more nostalgic than practical value. From the 1500s on, vaqueros had established a dynamic, easily romanticized culture, a legacy that would never disappear. Their self-reliance and earthy wisdom made it possible for man and horse to become successful partners on the wild frontier.

In the Days of the Vaqueros is less emotional than Russell Freedman's signature works of juvenile nonfiction, but offers a lot of detail about this era of Mexican-American history. Every human culture that rises eventually declines, but the age of the vaquero lasted longer than the Spanish conquistadores could have anticipated. By celebrating the flexible disposition and physique of the vaquero, we remind ourselves that we, too, can thrive even if society discounts our value. I might rate In the Days of the Vaqueros two and a half stars; it's not one of Russell Freedman's best, but it fills in gaps in the American consciousness regarding cowboys and where they came from. Because of that, the book will always be relevant.

[Becky · Rating 2 out of 5]

I always enjoy reading and learning from Russell Frredman. And I really like the illustrations/pictures!

[Amanda Hamilton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written for middle and high school readers, In the Days of the Vaqueros is an enchanting and informative book about the Native American men who raised cattle three hundred years before the time of American cowboys. Interesting and well-written text, coupled with frequent illustrations make this book great for readers with an interest in the subject matter.

Newberry winner Russell Freedman makes the history of vaqueros both interesting and unsettling by blending history, facts, and anecdotes with a fluid writing style as he informs the reader of the lost history of the vaqueros. He describes the vaqueros’ process of breaking a wild horse with beauty on page 31, “He [the horse] would pull back, jump forward, get a front foot over the rope, fall over, and squeal with rage, all the while struggling to get free.”

Freedman breaks stereotypes and myths about the past with this book. The reader learns the romanticized American cowboys of the late 1800s owe everything to this group. Mustang, bronco, chaps, lasso, ranch, and rodeo are all words used today that were taken directly from the Spanish-speaking vaqueros. The author includes information about topics ranging from how to herd cattle to what vaqueros ate and wore. The hierarchy of Spanish-owned haciendas, the first cattle ranches, is also very interesting and allows comparisons between the lowly status of the vaquero, viewed as simple, slave-like Native Americans, with the commonly idealized cowboy.

The visual aids used in this text add to the text. The book incorporates photographs, paintings, diagrams, and maps, all with captions, to bring the book’s words to life. Works by famed artist Frederic Remington are included in the book multiple times. Both black and white and color illustrations are included in the book, which is organized in chapters and designed to be read cover-to-cover.

In the Days of the Vaqueros is a wonderful book that students with roots in Mexico or the American southwest will especially enjoy. Features of the book include a bibliography, glossary, picture credits, and index; all of which prove the work’s accuracy and are part of its long and complex style of organization. The author also created a unique dictionary of Spanish words used in the text and their meanings. Freedman’s work is a must-read in Texas History classrooms and an entertaining, informative book.

[Gene Bobker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good for student reference, fairly readable, for studies on the settling of the west.

[Luann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always enjoy Russell Freedman's books, and "In the Days of the Vaqueros: America's First True Cowboys" was no exception. Freedman gives clear and concise information in an interesting way. This book is slightly shorter than others I've read of his, but I still felt like the subject was well covered. Freedman mentions several times that the Mexican vaquero has not been romanticized like the American cowboy and thus not a lot has been written about him over the years. I also really enjoyed the many paintings and sketches throughout the book, including several by Frederic Remington.

I was particularly interested in the chapter on contests and games, some of which are quite similar to events in our modern-day rodeos. I'll include a few excerpts from that chapter:

"One popular stunt was to lean down the from the side of a horse at full gallop and pluck from the ground a coin, an arrow, a kerchief, or, in a gruesome sport called carrera del gallo, a live rooster buried in sand with only its head showing. If the rider swung back into the saddle waving the wing-flapping rooster in his hand, he won all bets along with whoops of approval from the crowd." (pg 37)

"Colear, tailing the bull, was both a sport and a practical working skill. The coleador, the tailer, galloped up behind a bull, reached out from the right to grab its tail, passed the tail under his right leg, twisted it around this saddle horn, then wheeled his horse sharply to the left, throwing the bull off balance and causing the stunned animal to crash headlong to the ground. Tailing the bull required a certain knack. With the right leverage and timing, a small man on a horse could topple even the biggest bull. The reputation of being the best coleador in the district guaranteed a vaquero the respect of his compadres or comrades, and the admiration of numerous young women." (pg 38)

"When a man really wanted to show off, he took part in the paso de la muerte, the ride of death. In one version of this risky sport, a vaquero on horseback galloped alongside a wild horse - a bronco, from the Spanish word for "rough." He jumped from his mount onto the animals's back and rode that bucking bronco until he was thrown, or until the exhausted animal was tamed. Or he might pit his strength against a wild bull, roping the animal, then leaping onto its back and riding the enraged beast as he clung tightly to the rope." (pg 38-39)

"No sport was more dangerous than the grizzly bear hunts carried out by Indian vaqueros in California. Grizzlies, powerful giants with five-inch claws in each mighty paw, roamed the California coast country. When a bear was sighted, four or five men working together lassoed the beast by its legs and throat and choked off its air. As the dazed grizzly was being led away, the vaqueros took turns riding up close to the animal and provoking its charge. Captured grizzlies were pitted in violent battles against wild bulls. . . . The opponents were tied to each other with a long rope: One end was tied to the bear's hind leg, the other to the bull's foreleg. A grizzly sometimes killed several bulls before it was mortally gored." (pg 39-40)

And a random quote from page one that I found interesting from a Book of Mormon perspective: "Wild horses once roamed the grasslands of the Americas, but they disappeared mysteriously thousands of years before the first European explorers arrived. Columbus reported after his voyage in 1492 that he had found no horses or cattle in the New World."

[Brian Breese]

What?: This book describes the Mexican vaquero (cowboy) and contrasts them to the American cowboy. The vaquero was never a culture hero in Mexico, so the vaquero was a marginal figure in Mexican literature and film. This book pays tribute to the vaquero and describes their life, recreation, and clothing. The book has sketches, along with colorful illustrations to provide documentation of their lifestyle. Included is a glossary of Spanish vaquero terms.

So What?: Students will be able to contrast the cowboy with the original vaquero, and note the similarities and difference in lifestyle, recreation, and clothing.

Now What?: I would have students interested in cowboys read about the vaqueros and their place in history, especially related to Texas. The students could compare and contrast the cowboy and vaquero using a graphic organizer and present their findings.

[Lindsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like all of Russell Freedman's books, this one was packed with interesting tidbits. Here is a sampling:

*The first cowboys were Indians in Mexico (back when it was Spanish territory)
*Mexican Cowboys or vaqueros were never considered romantic figures like in the U.S. They were just poor labor hands.
*The first vaqueros never rode mares just stallions. Talk about Macho.
*When California was part of Mexico, vaqueros used to capture grizzlies to fight bulls in arenas at the Missions. Crazy!
*Even though Mexican or mixed bloods in Mexico were the first cowboys ever and more skilled than most Anglos, they were underpaid and faced discrimination in the States.

I enjoyed this book. Not a real shocker since I enjoy most of Freedman's books.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting book. The author mentions a few times that the Vaqueros were not romanticized in Mexico the way their counterpart, the cowboy, was in the United States so there isn't as much information about them. In many ways they were treated like black sharecroppers were in the US after the Civil War. While they were technically free, they had to make all their purchases as the hacienda store at inflated prices so they were never able to get out of debt and a father's debt was passed on to his son.

[Stacy Nyikos · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read Freedman’s book to understand a little better the men who were brought to Hawaii to teach the Hawaiian cowboys how to herd and round up cattle. The book is far too long to serve as an instructional format for the type of book I want to write, and reads vey much like a textbook or history book; however with far better illustrations and pictures than any of the history books I had ever encountered as a child.

[Vida · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who would have known that the original cowboys were native Mexicans? This is an easy read that briefly describes the over 500 year history of the Vaqueros. The copies of the paintings are lovely. It took about an hour or so to read and was a pleasure.

[Mary Louise Sanchez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you, Russell Freedman, for validating the vaqueros, America's first cowboys, and introducing them to readers through this well researched book.The Hispanic looking font, corridos (narrative poems), illustrations, and famous paintings add to the authenticity of the subject.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

cool history of cowboys!

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty solid. Russell Freedman is like a Frank McLynn for kids. He's a bit of a factory, but he writes about everything I love.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book for a cultural diversity class and though it was great! I hope to use it in my own classes in the future.