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How We Know The American Cowboy Is A Latino Invention

How We Know The American Cowboy Is A Latino Invention
Roque Planas

National Reporter, HuffPost

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Few images scream "America" more loudly than that of the southwestern cowboy. The United States can thank its Mexican heritage for creating this mythic figure. In a country where many continue to view Hispanics as foreign, a look back at the language of the Wild West serves as a reminder that Latinos taught Anglo immigrants in the Southwest how to be cowboys.

1
Mustang
Flickr:durdaneta
The word meaning that inspired one of America's most famous cars is a corruption of the Spanish "mesteño," meaning a "wild, untamed horse."
2
Lasso
Getty Images
Actually comes from the Spanish word "lazo," meaning "knotted rope," as well as more figurative terms like "tie" or "bond."
3
Sombrero
Flickr:pds209
Unsurprisingly, this is actually a Spanish word.
4
Ranch
Flickr:FAVPIXS
From the Spanish "rancho."
5
Buckaroo
Flickr:joansorolla
This is a corruption of the Spanish "vaquero," or "cowboy."
6
Stampede
WikiMedia:
From the Spanish "estampida."
7
Rodeo
Flickr:Base Camp Baker
The name for this American cowboy tradition is actually a Spanish word meaning "round up."
8
Lariat
Getty Images
Another word for lasso, this one derived from the Spanish "la riata."
9
Chaps
WikiMedia:
The leather coverings cowboys use for their legs were picked up from Latinos who called them "chaparreras."
10
Bronco
WikiMedia:
Cowboys borrowed this term for a wild horse from Spanish.
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Roque Planas - National Reporter, HuffPost

National Reporter, HuffPost

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