By Porter Lang
Start with what a rider actually carries. A hat, a rope, a saddle, a pair of spurs, a jacket cut for a horse. CharrerĂa is a sport, a working tradition and a body of craft all at once, and the gear is the easiest way in. Here is what UNESCO, Wikipedia and a second Wikipedia article on the charro say, with the gaps and conflicts left visible.
What UNESCO says
UNESCO inscribed charrerĂa in 2016 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. It describes “a traditional practice of livestock herding communities in Mexico” that began as a way to help herders from different estates coexist. Techniques pass down within families. Male herders are charros and female herders charras. Purpose-built associations and schools now help pass the tradition on, and practitioners see it as central to community identity and as a way to pass on values such as respect and equality.
Public performances are called charreadas. UNESCO lists a charro parade to open the festivity, roping and reining with wild mares and bulls, a test of the horse’s obedience, chasing a bull on horseback, a women’s mounted team of eight riders performing patterns at full gallop, rope flourishing, and a coronation ball with charra queens.
Gear, piece by piece
UNESCO says local artisans make the costumes, saddles, spurs and other equipment. One craft it names is piteado, a hand embroidery on leather that uses fiber from maguey and agave plants. Wikipedia’s article on charrerĂa does not mention piteado, so we have only the UNESCO description.
On hats, UNESCO says charros wear a wide-brimmed hat and charras a colorful shawl.
The women’s team
UNESCO describes a women’s mounted team of eight riders who ride sidesaddle in traditional dresses and perform patterns at full gallop.
Dates in order
- 2016: the UNESCO inscription of charrerĂa on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
What we left out
Prize money, championship results, event rules, the history of the suit and the sport’s dates, hours, tickets and where to see a charreada.
Quick answers
When did UNESCO list charrerĂa? In 2016, on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, according to UNESCO.
What is piteado? A hand embroidery on leather using fiber from maguey and agave plants, according to UNESCO, which says local artisans make charro equipment.
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