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TIDBITS® HITS THE TRAIL WITH COWBOYS by Kathy Wolfe Yee-haw! Tidbits has rounded up these facts about cowboys, the heroes of the American West. • Although we tend to think of cowboys as figures of the Old West, they actually had their origins in Mexico. In the early 1500s, the Spanish who were migrating to North America were developing ranches to raise cattle and other livestock. Spanish explorer Hernando Cortes imported horses to begin horse-breeding in Mexico, and by 1553, there were an estimated 10,000 free-roaming horses there. • Mexico’s native cowboys were hired by ranchers to care for the livestock, and became known as “vaqueros,” from the Spanish word “vaca” for “cow. They became proficient in riding, roping, and herding. The most experienced vaquero was referred to as the Segundo, Spanish for “second,” the one who rode with the trail boss. • Ranching spread north to what is now Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona in the early 1700s. Cattle ranches expanded further when Franciscan priests began establishing missions in California in the 1760s. turn the page for more!
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