El abanico (the fan), one of the most popular routines in the escaramuza competition. All eight team members circle the ruedo (interior of the arena) with their horses equidistant from one another, in the form of a fan.
Charrería is the Mexican style of traditional Spanish horsemanship that developed in central and northern Mexico under the hacienda system. Following the breakup of the haciendas by the Mexican revolutionaries, the charros saw their traditions slipping away. They met in 1921 to form the Asociación Nacional de Charros to keep the charrería tradition alive. The most visible of these efforts was the establishment of the charreada style of rodeo.
Charrería is completely distinct from any other kind of event in the world. The arena is built to the specifications of the horsemanship competition Built in the shape of a 'U', the lienzo charro (events ring) has all the seating at the closed end of the 'U' and space for the events within the open end.
A charreada is held within a marked-off area of an arena with a lane 12 meters wide by 60 meters long leading into a circle 40 meters in diameter. Charreada is highly ritualized and follows a particular sequence of events. The participants must wear traditional charro clothing while performing. Preceding the events is an opening ceremony in which the organizations and participants parade into the arena on horseback, usually accompanied by a band playing "The Zacatecas March".
The gran desfile (opening parade) on October 14 at the Campeonato Nacional de Charrería 2007 (National Charro Championships 2007) being held in Morelia, Michoacán from October 10 through October 28.
There are nine separate suertes (tests of horsemanship) in a full charreada event. Each test is based on a skill needed to perform normal ranch work.
Cala de Caballo (test of the horse): The charro puts his horse though various commands to demonstrate his ability and the horse's training.
Piales en Lienzo or Piales (arena roping): A horseman must throw a lariat out, let a wild horse (or bull, or steer) run through the loop, catching it by the hind legs within three tries—all without watching the animal as it comes up behind him.
Colas en Lienzo or Coleadera (arena bull tailing): Steer wrestling, also known as bull dogging, is a rodeo event that features a steer and two mounted cowboys, along with a number of supporting characters. The steers are moved through narrow pathways leading to a chute with spring loaded doors. A 10 foot rope is fastened around the steer's neck which is used to ensure that the steer gets a head start. On one side of the chute is the hazer whose job is to ride parallel with the steer and ensure it runs in a straight line. The charro grabs the steer's tail as the animal darts from the chute, twisting the tail to take the steer down onto the ground.
Jineteo de Toro (bull riding): Bull riding is a rodeo sport that involves a rider getting on a 1,000 and 2,500 pound bull which is held in a small enclosure called a bucking chute. The rider tightly fastens one hand to the bull with a long woven leather rope. When the rider says he is ready, the gate of the bucking chute is opened and the bull bursts out and attempts to throw or buck off the rider.
The terna. The charros have the bull subdued by the neck and rear legs and are about to tie all four feet together.
Terna (trial): A team roping event in which three charros attempt to rope a bull; one by its neck, one by its hind legs, and the last then ties its feet together; all within eight minutes.
Jineteo de Yegua (bareback riding on an unbroken mare): Bronco riding in Mexico, either as saddle bronco or bareback bronco, involves a rider getting on an untamed horse or bronco, weighing between 800 and 1,500 pounds. In a charreada, these horses are all mares. In the bucking chute the rider tightly grips a handle which is strapped to the horse. When the rider says he is ready, the gate of the bucking chute is opened and the horse bursts out and attempts to throw or buck off the rider.
Mangana (a pie) or Piales (roping on foot): A charro on foot attempts to rope a wild mare by its front legs, bringing it down.
The floreo (exhibition of roping techniques) is part of the mangana a pie y a caballo. The charro twirls the rope in fancy patterns while he waits--without watching--for the mare to circle the ring a a full-out gallop.
Mangana (a caballo) (roping from horseback): A charro on horseback attempts to rope a wild mare by her front legs--first by one foreleg, then by two--bringing it down.
Paso de la Muerte (pass of death) The competitor gallops bareback on his own horse next to an unbroken mare. With the help of three mounted ring assistants working to keep the mare in place, he attempts to leap from his own horse to the bare back of a wild horse and then grasp the mane and ride it until it stops.
The individual suertes sound quite simple, but in reality every one is extremely complicated. A detailed description of the hundreds of rules and regulations of charrería is here. There is a regulation and a rule for everything from the kind of shirt and tie a charro must wear in a competition to the infractions for using a plastic rope. The website is entirely in Spanish, but a glance at page upon page of rules will give you some insight into the complexity of the Mexican national sport.
Eight escaramuza teammates ride an intricately choreographed pattern. Remember that the young women are riding sidesaddle! Their costumes are as colorful as their routines.
In addition to the men's events, there is also an event for women known as escaramuza (skirmish). During this event, teams of eight women dressed in 19th Century charra clothing (and riding side saddle) perform a variety of precision riding techniques while riding at break-neck speeds. The escaramuza is usually featured between the coleadera and the jineteo de toros. Escaramuza is the most colorful and exciting part of the charreada, although the men's final suerte, paso de la muerte usually has my heart in my throat.
No Mexican sporting event is complete without tequila. Vendors ply the aisles selling straight shots, as mixed drinks, or by the bottle.
My companion and I were thrilled to attend the Campeonato Nacional de Charrería 2007 on Sunday night, October 14. It was her first charro competition, but certainly not her, or my, last.
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