by Ann Marie Kennon annmarie@lhtxdigest.com
COWBOYS WHAT MAKES TEXAS “TEXAS”?
T
hough the occupation and lifestyle originated in Mexico, American cowboys exemplified the kind of spirit that shaped our nation, and to this day, Texas is the cowboy capital of the world. While their ascendancy spanned a relatively short time in history, cowboys have since been celebrated ubiquitously in popular culture for the freedom, natural living, and romance of the Old West. In the 21st century, opportunities may have shifted, but the American Cowboy is still very much a part of life in Texas and those who have done it know how challenging the life can be.
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BIRTH OF A LEGEND New World explorers from Spain began building ranches in Mexico in 1519. Using animals brought from Spain, landowners trained Native Americans to ride their horses and handle the cattle. By the early 1700s, cattle ranching had spread north to lands destined to be Texas, and the riders, called vaqueros (from the Spanish word for cow; vaca), used braided rawhide reatas (the root word for lariat). Over the next century, settlers continued to move westward and adopted cowboy culture and practices. Cowboys
