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36-598: The festival was first organized and celebrated 1937 by the Brownsville Chamber of Commerce to recognize Mexican culture and honor the charros , or the "dashing Mexican gentlemen cowboys." In addition, it is mentioned in the official webpage that the Charro Days festival was also created to bring people together during the effects of the Great Depression . Although not proven, it is rumored that

72-472: A Lienzo charro . Some decades ago, charros in Mexico were permitted to carry guns. In conformity with current law, the charro must be fully suited and be a fully pledged member of Mexico's Federación Mexicana de Charrería . Yokel Yokel is one of several derogatory terms referring to the stereotype of unsophisticated country people. The term is of uncertain etymology and is only attested from

108-632: A demonym for the people of the province of Salamanca , in Spain, also known by Campo Charro , especially in the area of Alba de Tormes , Vitigudino , Ciudad Rodrigo and Ledesma ; and a noun synonymous with the name Ranchero , the horse mounted people of the Mexican countryside. In other places in Latin America, it retained its original derogatory meaning. In Puerto Rico, charro is a generally accepted slang term to mean that someone or something

144-483: A horse). The Viceroyalty of New Spain had prohibited Native Americans from riding or owning horses, with the exception of the Tlaxcaltec nobility, other allied chieftains, and their descendants. However, cattle raising required the use of horses, for which farmers would hire cowboys who were preferably mestizo and, rarely, Indians . Some of the requirements for riding a horse were that one had to be employed by

180-465: A plantation, had to use saddles that differed from those used by the military, and had to wear leather clothing from which the term "cuerudo" (leathered one) originated. Over time landowners and their employees, starting with those living in the Mexican Plateau and later the rest of the country, adapted their cowboy style to better suit the Mexican terrain and temperature, evolving away from

216-495: Is generally used by urban dwellers as a slur for rural dwellers. In Dublin and Belfast, it's often used for people from outside said cities, even people from other large urban areas. Synonyms for culchie include country bumpkin, bogger, muck-savage and redneck. According to the Oxford English Dictionary the term is a "by-form" of the personal name Richard (like Dick) and Hob (like Bob) for Robert. Although

252-584: Is obnoxiously out of touch with social or style norms, similar to the United States usage of dork(y) , (i.e gaudy). The traditional Mexican charro is known for colorful clothing and participating in coleadero y charreada , a specific type of Mexican rodeo . The charreada is the national sport in Mexico, and is regulated by the Federación Mexicana de Charrería . The "charro film"

288-609: The Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. as a model of bi-national friendliness between these two countries. Charros Charro , in Mexico, is historically the horseman from the countryside, the Ranchero , who lived and worked in the haciendas and performed all his tasks on horseback, working mainly as vaqueros and caporales, among other jobs. He was renowned for his superb horsemanship, for his skill in handling

324-471: The Basque Jesuit, Manuel Larramendi , argued that the word was of Basque origin and that it meant: "vile and despicable thing", and wrote that country people and villagers were called that out of contempt. While the historian and philosopher Antonio de Capmany y Montpalau , argued that the origin of the word was Arabic and that it originally meant "bad of moral malice and of customs" passing on to

360-510: The English terms: yokel , bumpkin , boor, hick , gaudy and garish Spanish-English dictionaries like the "Diccionario Español e Inglés" (1786) defined Charro as: "rustic, country like". While the 1802 "A New Dictionary of the Spanish and English Languages" defined it as: "a clownish, coarse, ill-bred person" and "Gaudy, loaded with ornaments in a tasteless and paltry manner". In 1745,

396-420: The English word "hick" is of recent vintage, distinctions between urban and rural dwellers are ancient. According to a popular etymology, hick derives from the nickname "Old Hickory" for Andrew Jackson , one of the first presidents of the United States to come from rural hard-scrabble roots. This nickname suggested that Jackson was tough and enduring like an old hickory tree. Jackson was particularly admired by

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432-549: The Mr. Amigo Association was the former president of Mexico , Miguel Alemán Valdés . During the creation of NAFTA agreement in 1988-1989, Congressman Solomon Ortiz presented the Mr. Amigo Association with the Mr. Amigo Review Award for the distinction of being one of the first organizations to extend friendship and mutual understanding between the United States and Mexico . The Mr. Amigo Review Award remains on exhibit at

468-607: The National Association of Charros, a former soldier of Pancho Villa during the Mexican Revolution who climbed the ranks to Lieutenant Colonel in the Personal Guard of Villa's Dorados . Although the word charro was a originally just a derogatory term for country people, synonymous with English words yokel or bumpkin, and gaudy, it evolved independently in different countries, becoming

504-486: The Spanish style of cattle raising. After the Mexican War of Independence horse riding grew in popularity. Many riders of mixed race became mounted mercenaries, messengers and plantation workers. Originally known as Chinacos , these horsemen later became the modern "vaqueros" . Wealthy plantation owners would often acquire decorated versions of the distinctive Charro clothing and horse harness to display their status in

540-476: The Spanish to mean artistic malice, thus something "charro" is the same as something gaudy and tasteless . In Mexico, since the 18th century, the term charro was applied in a derogatory manner to the Rancheros , the inhabitants of the countryside and haciendas who carried out all their tasks on horseback, because, as country people, they were perceived as ignorant, crude and unsophisticated. Over time,

576-623: The UK, yokels are traditionally depicted as wearing the old West Country / farmhand 's dress of straw hat and white smock , chewing or sucking a piece of straw and carrying a pitchfork or rake, listening to " Scrumpy and Western " music. Yokels are portrayed as living in rural areas of Britain such as the West Country , East Anglia , the Yorkshire Dales and Wales . They speak with country dialects from various parts of Britain. In

612-570: The United States, the term is used to describe someone living in rural areas. Synonyms for yokel include bubba , country bumpkin , hayseed , chawbacon , rube , redneck , hillbilly and hick . In Scotland , those from the Highlands and Islands , Moray , Aberdeenshire, and other rural areas are often referred to by urban or lowland Scots as teuchters . People from the rural south of Scotland are sometimes known as "Doonhamers" ("Doon hame" meaning "down home"). In Ireland, this term

648-593: The book "Vocabulario de refranes y frases proverbiales" (1627) by Gonzalo Correas as a synonym of dumb or stupid person. More than one hundred years later, in 1729, in the first dictionary of the Spanish language edited by the Real Academia Española , the "Diccionario de Autoridades" charro was defined as: The uneducated and unpolished person, raised in a place of little policing. In the Court, and in other places, they give this name to any person from

684-528: The charros and mariachi ensembles by extension still use in modern days. Charros were quickly seen as national heroes as Mexican politicians in the late 19th century pushed for the romanticized charro lifestyle and image as an attempt to unite the nation after the conservative and liberal clashes. Prior to the Mexican Revolution of 1910, the distinctive charro suit, with its sombrero, sarape , heavily embroidered jacket and tightly cut trousers,

720-413: The community. Poorer riders would also equip their horses with harness made from agave or would border their saddles with chamois skin. As the Mexican War of Independence began in 1810 and continued for the next 11 years, charros were very important soldiers on both sides of the war. Many haciendas , or Spanish owned estates, had a long tradition of gathering their best charros as a small militia for

756-622: The countryside. The first edition of the Real Academia dictionary published in 1780, kept that original definition, defining charro as: "the rough and rustic person, as the villagers tend to be"; but they would add a second meaning for the first time: "adjective that is applied to some things that are too laden with decoration and in bad taste". Thus, it was a derogatory term applied to country people because they’re perceived as ignorant, rough and unsophisticated, and to things that were too laden in decoration but in bad taste. Synonymous with

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792-410: The early 19th century on. Yokels are depicted as straightforward, simple, naïve, and easily deceived, failing to see through false pretenses. They are also depicted as talking about bucolic topics like cows, sheep, goats, wheat, alfalfa, fields, crops, and tractors to the exclusion of all else. Broadly, they are portrayed as unaware of or uninterested in the world outside their own surroundings. In

828-476: The estate to fend off bandits and marauders. When the War for Independence started, many haciendas had their own armies in an attempt to fend off early struggles for independence. After independence was achieved in 1821, political disorder made law and order hard to establish throughout much of Mexico. Large bands of bandits plagued the early 19th century as a result of lack of legitimate ways for social advance. One of

864-570: The film featured no songs at all other than his voice singing "Charro!" over the main title and opening credits as gunslinger Presley rides into town. It was also the only movie in which Presley wore a beard. The film's promotion read, 'A different kind of role, a different kind of man'. In all the states of Mexico – and in some US states such as California , Texas , and Illinois – charros participate in tournaments to show off their skill either in team competition charreada , or in individual competition such as coleadero . These events are practiced in

900-476: The first “unofficial” Charro Days was realized in the early to mid-1800s, when people from the city of Brownsville, Texas , and Matamoros, Tamaulipas , just across the Rio Grande in Mexico , came together to celebrate a cooperative cultural festival to honor the two nations. The festival went on hiatus in 1942–45 & 2021. The four-day festival has daily parades, food stands and music, people dancing in

936-406: The friendly relationship with Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico and Brownsville, Texas, United States and to preserve the Charro Days and Sombrero Festival celebrations, became a part of Charro Days in 1967. Sombrero Fest , a three-day Washington Park street party with food, popular rock, country and Tejano performers, was added in 1986. Moreover, it is worth mentioning that the first president of

972-399: The lasso, and for his unique costume designed specially for horseback riding. Today, this name is given to someone who practices charreada (similar to a rodeo ), considered the national sport of Mexico which maintains traditional rules and regulations in effect from colonial times up to the Mexican Revolution . The word charro (syn. charrar, charra ) was first documented in Spain in

1008-489: The most notable gang was called "the silver ones" or the "plateados"; these thieves dressed as traditional wealthy charros, adorning their clothing and saddles with much silver, channeling the elite horseman image. The bandit gangs would disobey or buy out government, establishing their own profit and rules. Towards the mid 19th century, however, President Juárez established the " rurales " or mounted rural police to crack down on gangs and enforce national law across Mexico. It

1044-445: The residents of remote and mountainous areas of the United States, people who would come to be known as "hicks." Another explanation of the term hick describes a time when hickory nut flour was used and sold. Tough times, such as the depression, led to the use of hickory nuts as an alternative to traditional grains. People who harvested, processed, or sold hickory products, such as hickory flour, were referred to as "hicks". The term

1080-483: The states of Jalisco in Mexico , it was not until the 1930s that charrería became a rules sport, as rural people began moving towards the cities. During this time, paintings of charros also became popular. During World War II, an army of 150,000 charros was created, the "Legión de Guerrilleros Mexicanos", in anticipation of an eventual attack of German forces. It was led by Antolin Jimenez Gamas , president of

1116-614: The street, boat races, fireworks, bull fights, and a rodeo in Brownsville and in its sister city of Matamoros. Costumes reflecting Mexico's tradition have been used by those who partake in the occasion. Men, for the most part, wear traditional Mexican costumes—whether it is the charro costume or a cowboy one—while women wear the colorful Huipil costume. The traditional costume is often worn by adults, elders, and children on all four days to celebrate and honor borderland heroes. Mr. Amigo Association , an organization that works for

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1152-400: The word evolved being redefined in Mexico, going from being a derogatory adjective to a noun, synonymous with Ranchero or vaquero, and "great horseman". In 1850, the Spanish historian and writer based in Mexico, Niceto de Zamacois , defined what Charro was in Mexico, as: Charros: gente del campo que se compone mucho para montar á caballo (country people who are very well formed to ride

1188-558: Was a genre of the Golden Age of Mexican cinema between 1935 and 1959, and probably played a large role in popularizing the charro, akin to what occurred with the advent of the American Western . The most notable charro stars were José Alfredo Jiménez , Pedro Infante , Jorge Negrete , Antonio Aguilar , and Tito Guizar . The 1969 Western film Charro! was Elvis Presley's only movie in which he did not sing on-screen;

1224-450: Was generalized over time to include people who lived in rural areas and were not considered as sophisticated as their urban counterparts. Though not a term explicitly denoting lower class, some argue that the term degrades impoverished rural people and that "hicks" continue as one of the few groups that can be ridiculed and stereotyped with impunity. In " The Redneck Manifesto ," Jim Goad argues that this stereotype has largely served to blind

1260-567: Was these rurales that helped to establish the charro look as one of manhood, strength, and nationhood. During the Second Mexican Empire , Maximilian I of Mexico reigned as emperor and liked to wear a charro suit as the national costume to ingratiate himself with his subjects. He was an avid and skilled horsemen and impressed by the local charros. Emperor Maximilian himself designed the elegant all black charro traje, or costume, as acceptable attire for formal occasions, which

1296-423: Was widely worn by men of the affluent upper classes on social occasions, especially when on horseback. A light grey version, with silver embroidery and buttons, served as the uniform of the rurales (mounted rural police). However, the most notable example of 'charrería' is General Emiliano Zapata who was known before the revolution as a skilled rider and horse tamer. Although it is said that charros came from

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