The country that most influenced the development and legacy of the traditional American cowboy was Mexico. When the Spanish arrived and settled in Mexico in the 16th century they operated rural estates where they raised cattle assisted by horses that had been brought from Spain. Native Indians were trained to ride the horses and herd and handle the cattle. They developed great skills at controlling the animals while being mounted, and they began to be known as <em>vaqueros </em>- Spanish for cowboys. By the 17th century, these estates or ranches existed in areas such as Texas, Arizona and New Mexico, as well as in Argentina - all of them part of the Spanish empire. With the expansion of the livestock industry in other parts of the Western United States (California, Idaho, Nevada) it eventually turned into an American profession in its own right, with cowboys ranching and transporting cattle to the main railroad depots for consumption all over the country.
When the spanish conquerors arrived, they started stablishing ranchs and farms, and the role of the <em>vaquero </em>(from the spanish word <em>vaca</em>) was coined to name the men who took care of the livestock, and who were also good with certain skills like herding, roping and riding.
As the ranching practices were spread, so did the culture of the cowboy, including their clothing style and their skills.
The first cowboys had different backgrounds like Mexican, Native American and African American, among others.
making landfall on various parts of the Yucatán coast. The Spanish conquest of the Maya was a prolonged affair; the Maya kingdoms resisted integration into the Spanish Empire with such tenacity that their defeat took almost two centuries.
Native Americans experience historical trauma through the effects of colonization such as wars and battles with the U.S. military, assimilation, forced removal, and genocide.
