Charros: The Traditional Mexican Cowboy

Charro in action (CC photo by Lamazone courtesy of Flickr)

Charro is the name for the traditional Mexican cowboy, or horseman, that originated in the Mexican state of Jalisco. While a Charro is commonly known as the horsemen wearing colorful and quite intricately decorated costumes, the term vaquero is more common throughout Mexico and into the United States.The Charro, however, is a very popular and romanticized figure in the Mexican culture.