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Jarocho de Tierra Caliente (Jarocho of the Hot Lands) (1838)

Jarocho was, historically, the horseman of the Veracruz countryside, who worked on the haciendas of the state, specifically those dedicated to the job of vaquero (cowboy) and everything related to cattle ranching. Jarocho was for Veracruz and its “Tierra-Caliente” (Hot Lands, coastal areas) what Ranchero or Charro was for the Mexican Highlands and interior of the country. Synonymous with vaquero, horseman and country man.

There are also several instances where the term appears without the explicit relationship with Veracruz or its inhabitants, appearing as a generic demonym for all rural inhabitants regardless of origin, a fact that would make it synonymous with Ranchero or Charro. The term was also used synonymously with mulatto and black people.

Nowadays the term has lost its original meaning as it is no longer related to cowboys, horsemen, ranching or country people. Currently “Jarocho” is used as a colloquial demonym for all inhabitants of the state of Veracruz regardless of their occupation, as well as an appellative term for anything related to said state.

Etymology

Jarochos de Veracruz (1885).

Most scholars agree that the term Jarocho comes from the Arabic term jara meaning spear or arrow, referring to the spear or lance used by the vaqueros of Veracruz for herding cattle.

The French colonist and writer, Lucien Biart, who lived in Mexico (1846 to 1867), wrote in 1862 that it was the people of the Mexican Highlands (the Temperate-Land) who called the vaqueros and cattle ranchers of Veracruz “Jarochos” for using spears or lances, called “jarochas” by them, for herding cattle:

“Nous rassemblons plus d'un millier de têtes, puis nous cherchons à franchir la savane avec cet immense troupeau pour gagner les premières pentes des montagnes. […] Les conducteurs, dans ces expéditions, sont armés de longues lances nommées jarochas; de là le nom familier de Jarochos qu'on leur donne dans les hautes terres, et que la plupart de mes compatriotes ignorent“ (We gathered more than a thousand head of cattle, then we try to cross the plains with this immense herd to reach the first slopes of the mountains. […] The leaders, in these expeditions, are armed with long spears called jarochas; hence the familiar name of Jarochos which is given to them in the highlands, and which most of my compatriots are unaware of.

The 19th century scholar José Miguel Macías was the first to propose, in 1884, that jarocho came from the Arabic term jara, a type of spear or lance with an arrow shaped tip used for cattle herding. Unlike the vaqueros of the Mexican Highlands, the Charros, who used a lasso called a reata for herding cattle, the Jarochos used a lance or spear colloquially called “jarocha”. It is probable, according to this theory, that by using said “jara” or “jarocha”, the Veracruz cowboys and ranchers were nicknamed, in a derogatory manner, “Jarochos”, as Biart mentions.

On the contrary, Macías himself proposed an alternative theory that suggested that the term could come from jaro, an adjective that was applied to pigs that looked like wild boars due to the reddish color and hardness of their bristles. It is probable, according to this other theory, that out of hatred for black people, the suffix -cho was added to insult black, mulatto and zambo men, insinuating that they were swine. A theory that has been taken up by modern scholars. The majority of the Jarocho population was made up of people of Afro-descent

Use of the Term

Since at least the 18th century, the term Jarocho has been associated in one way or another with country people. The oldest instances of the word that have been found show that jarocho was used as a name or demonym for rural people, regardless of geographical origin. Implying that it was synonymous with ranchero, charro, or countryman.

The oldest instance that scholars have been able to find where the word is specifically related to Veracruz was in two documents, letters written and dated February 13, 1822, by Governor Manuel Rincón to Emperor Agustín de Iturbide. In them he mentions Mariano Cenobio and Crisanto Castro, captains of an army of Jarochos, to capture Guadalupe Victoria, since they were friends of his.

Today, the term is applied to all people from the city of Veracruz regardless of their occupation. In a more restricted way, its use is limited to the southern coastal regions of the state, more particularly, to farmers and fishermen living along the valley of the Papaloapan river, specially those in or near the towns of Cosamaloapan, Tlacotalpan, and Alvarado.

Musical groups of jarochos are bands of minstrel musicians, who dress and play in the Veracruz style. They are distinguished by their traditional white guayabera shirts and white pants and hats; also the men wear a red bandana around their neck. Music played by jarochos is known as Son Jarocho.

History

Lancero de Veracruz (1767). Veracruz Militiaman with lance.

The origin of the Jarochos dates back to the 16th century with the introduction of cattle ranching to Veracruz. From its beginnings, cattle ranching in the region had extraordinary success with a rapid multiplication of livestock, that is estimated that by the year 1630, just in the Sotavento region alone, cattle had quintupled from half a million head in 1570 to two and a half million head of cattle. It is there where men, mainly black, mulattos and zambos, provided their services on the cattle ranches, working mainly as cowboys (vaqueros) and foremen (mayorales). These same cowboys also made up the militias that protected the seaport and the region. As militiamen, they armed themselves with the same lances or spears that they used for herding cattle.

Eventually, towards the 19th century, once the Independence of Mexico was achieved, the term Jarocho was well established as a name for the Veracruz horsemen, specifically for those working as vaqueros and in everything related to cattle ranching.

The true Jarochos were not involved in farming or in any other rural job other than cattle ranching, because according to 19th century writer Angel Vélez, they considered those tasks as monotonous and very “laborious”.

Niceto de Zamacois, a Spanish historian and journalist based in Mexico, explained that the Jarochos were for Veracruz what the Rancheros were for the Highlands and interior of the country:

“The men of the countryside who carry out their jobs on horseback are given the name of «Rancheros», derived from the word Rancho that is applied to a small hacienda, or to a part of a large one that is divided into rancherias or ranchos. Those who carry out the same tasks in the haciedas of Veracruz are given the name of «Jarochos».

The Jarochos were very different from the Charros, not only in their customs but also in their techniques for herding cattle as well as in their costume.

The Jarochos didn’t wear cowboy boots like the Charros of the interior, typically riding their horses barefoot, inserting only the big toe in the stirrup, with their body leaning to one side, resting one thigh on the saddle, and not astride. They also didn’t use the typical Mexican vaquero saddle that the Charros used, but rather a heavy, crude saddle, with long corazas (embossed leather covering), without tapaderas (stirrup coverings) on the stirrups, and overloaded with ornaments. Their saddles also had no saddlehorn, since, as already mentioned, they didn’t use roping as their primary method for cattle herding, but rather a lance or spear. Their secondary tool was a lasso, which, unlike the reata of the Charros, was called "peal" and was tied to their horse's tail, and was made of twisted, not braided, rawhide, dried in the sun and softened with tallow; and unlike the Charros of the interior, the Jarochos didn’t rope with the same skill and agility as them.

Another of their peculiarities was the use of the machete, his favorite and indispensable weapon, which he always carried in a sheath attached to his waist, never on his horse like the Charros did. The Jarochos were known for their agility in handling the machete, especially in dodging blows. Ángel Vélez, a 19th century writer from Veracruz, commented that the machete was an indispensable tool and weapon for the Jarochos, and that for them, being without their machete was worse than being naked.

Gabriel Ferry, a French writer and explorer who lived in Mexico for ten years, wrote that for a Jarocho any comment, no matter how insignificant, was enough to provoke him into a fight:

“It is their love of independence which causes them to prefer the wandering life of the herdsman [vaquero] and the horse-dealer, and the machete plays no unimportant part in all their difficulties. The Jarocho would rather want the most indispensable part of his dress than be deprived of the long sharp glittering blade which he wears in his belt. This sabre is more generally in the hand of the Jarocho than at his side. A small point of honour, or the most futile remark has often been the means of bringing on the most bloody and long-continued series of combats.”

Besides being countrymen and being heavily involved in cattle ranching working as vaqueros, the only other similarity Jarochos had with the Charros was their horsemanship and their athleticism and physical strength.

Traditional Costume

Jarocho from the surroundings of Veracruz (1844)

The typical historical costume of the Jarochos was very different from that of the Charros, and very different from the “Jarocho” costume of today. The costume consisted of a wide brimmed palm hat with a low crown and with the brim raised at the back. A white linen shirt with cambric trim. Short velveteen breeches reaching down to the knees, and opened at the sides with button. They didn’t wear cowboy boots, usually being barefoot, nor did they usually wear spurs. Only on special occasions did they wear ankle boots. And, hanging from a cloth or leather sash around their waist, their sword, the machete.

Gabriel Ferry wrote that the main common attire of the Jarocho men, consisted of:

“He wore in all its purity the peculiar costume of this class of men, a straw hat with a broad brim turned up behind, a fine linen shirt with cambric frills, without any vest above it, a pair of blue cotton velvet breeches open at the knee, and falling in a point to the middle of his leg. In a belt of Chinese crape of a scarlet colour, hung a straight sword (machete) without guard or sheath, the sharp and glittering blade of which sparkled in the sun. His feet, which were bare, were held in the wooden stirrup only by the tips of his toes. This Jarocho, his head inclined indolently upon one shoulder, sat his horse in the attitude peculiar to people of his caste, whose easy manner and unconstrained demeanour suited him to perfection.”

When they were herding cattle out in the woods and mountains, their only protection on their legs was a pair of leggings called “Botas Huastecas” (Huastec Boots), a kind of wide leggings or breeches, similar to Chaps used by the Charros, made of deer skin tanned with putrefied brains and smoked with cobs, to protect them from thorns and snakes, and repel chiggers, ticks and other bugs with the putrid smell.

The manufacturing process for making "Botas Huastecas" consisted, according to an article published in 1869, in:

“The boots, which are not boots but leggings, since they don’t have soles, nor are they worn on the feet, are made of the skins of two deer, which are arranged so that the respective neck of each one serves to cover the calves and part of the the thighs, and they are tied to the waist with cords of the same skin. The way to prepare the skin is as follows: the animal's brains are saved until they enter a state of putrefaction; the skins are then greased with this ointment, after being previously dried in the sun on the hairy side, and is then rubbed with a deer rib and becomes soft under this operation. When it is soft enough, it is colored with the smoke of burnt corn husks. The purpose of this is to impregnate the skin with a strong and pungent odor, which prevents ticks from adhering to them. The boots must be very wide and form many folds and wrinkles, both to avoid thorns from penetrating them, and to escape from the bite of snakes when having to cross bushy places.”

Lucien Biart mentioned that they also wore, draped over their shoulders, a “sailor” shirt, usually made of blue wool, which they put on before sunrise and after sunset. He also said that some old time Jarochos stuck to wearing a type of dress or long tunic with sleeves that fell down to the feet, that was decorated at all the seams with red threads forming strange designs. This garment, according to Biart, began to fall into disuse among the Jarochos around the 1830s.

Young Jarocho Woman (1838)

Among Jarocho women, Biart mentions that they wore a low-cut blouse, a petticoat, the national peineta (cachirulo) on their heads, and shoes that barely covered the tips of their bare feet and which hit the ground loudly with every step. He said that at that time (1830s) the dress, the stockings, the shawl were recent imports, which were not yet widespread among the population; but he already foresaw that its use would become more widespread to establish a clearer line between social classes, since in the past the ladies of the upper class were only distinguished from the women of the lower class by greater wealth in the fabrics used in their dress and stockings.

The “elegant” costume of the Jarochos differed a little from the common one, since the wearer usually wore ankle boots, and its fabric and manufacturing was more expensive. The French painter Pharamond Blanchard said that the elegant costume of the Jarochos consisted of:

“White trousers of fine cotton fabric, open at the sides from the middle of the thigh; a pleated shirt all around the body, a huge wide-brimmed hat of white felt, and boots richly embroidered with arabesques of extraordinary fineness: this is the costume of the elegant country people. Almost all of them are armed with the machete, a straight sword of medium length, which serves several purposes, in addition to their personal defense; It is with this weapon that they open a path in the middle of the thickest forests.”

Regarding the costume of the Jarocho women, Blanchard mentioned that it was much simpler, consisting of a very low-cut blouse; a white petticoat at the bottom edge, and the rest of indigo blue, the both legs and feet bare; When they traveled, they covered their heads with a shawl or scarf, which they called reboso, with blue and white checkered designs, made of light wool or cotton fabric.

The Modern Day Attire

Current Jarocho and Jarocha costumes.

The current typical costume of the Jarochos has little or nothing to do with the original ancient costume, since today the term Jarocho no longer has anything to do with the cowboys of Veracruz.

The typical modern day costume of the Jarocho men consists of a white guayabera shirt, with red bandana around the neck and tied in front with with a golden ring; white pants, white ankle boots, and a small white palm hat. In the case of women, there is also a stereotype in which white clothing predominates, wide skirts with edges and lace (blouse, skirt, petticoat, scarf and shoes).

JOBS IN THE HACIENDA:

• VAQUERO - The job of Vaquero was the lowest, along with the Indian peasant farmer, in the hierarchy of the Hacienda. The job of Vaquero consisted of guarding, caring for and herding cattle, as well as taking care of the herd of horses. They were in charge of branding, curing and castrating the cattle, as well as grooming the horses, and milking the cows. They were also in charge of hunting animals, such as deer, and in order to protect the herds, they also hunted predatory animals such as wolves, coyotes, jaguars, pumas and bears, all done with the roping. The Vaqueros under the orders of the Caporal.
• CAPORAL - The Caporal was the captain or chieftain of the Vaqueros. The job of Caporal consisted of organizing and leading the rodeos, the branding of the herds, the hacienda festivities, as well as the animal hunts. The Caporal was originally a Vaquero until he was promoted to Caporal. Caporales, therefore, were more skilled ropers and horsemen. Each Caporal and Vaquero had his hatajo (group of horses) by color, with the caporales' horses being the most outstanding and vibrant. The Caporal was under the orders of the Mayordomo of the hacienda.
• CABALLERANGO - The knight was the caretaker of the horses, mainly those of the boss. His job was to care for, groom, and prepare the horses that were going to be used during the day. The caballerango responded to the orders of the caporal, or the boss.
• HORSE TAMERS and TRAINERS - Also known as Picadores, they were in charge of taming and leasing the horses. Depending on the region of the country, as well as the qualities of the trainer and landlord, the training was going to be different; from a quick taming through aggressive methods, as in northern Mexico, to more elaborate and non-violent training as in central Mexico. As Horses were very abundant in the wild in the 19th century, the only value they had was the type of training they received, therefore the better the training, the higher their price.
• MAJORDOMO-The Butler was in charge of all the workers of the hacienda, and was in charge of transmitting to them the orders of the Administrator (or Landowner) of the hacienda, whom he obeyed. The Administrator, for his part, administered the hacienda in the name of the Landowner, who usually did not live on the hacienda.

HORSEMANSHIP

A Ranchero is an independent son of the Mexican soil, generally a renter of lands, always owner of a horse, on which he may be said to live and have his being. Today a cattle-herder (Vaquero), tomorrow a soldier, this week a gambler, next week a robber — with all his sins, and they are as his hairs in number, he has one supreme excellence: you may not match him the world over as a rider, not though you set against him the most peerless of the turbaned knights of the jereed. Once it was my fortune to see a thousand Rancheros, in holiday garb and mounted, sweep down at a run to meet President Juarez, then en route to begin his final campaign against the hapless Hapsburger. They literally glistened with silver —silver on saddle and bridle, silver on jacket and trowsers, silver on hats, silver on heels; and, as with vivas long and shrilly intoned, and stabs of rowel merciless and maddening, they drove their mustangs —the choicest of the wild herds— headlong forward, the spectacle was stirring enough to have made the oldest hetman of the Cos­sacks young again.

Eventually, towards the 18th century, those Vaqueros, those who lived on the cattle estancias as well as the nomads, began to be known under the name of “Rancheros”. The term "Ranchero" comes from "Rancho", a term that was given in Mexico, since the 18th century, to the countryside or hamlets where cattle were raised or land was sowed. Spanish priest, Mateo José de Arteaga, in his —"Description of the Diocese of Guadalajara de Indias" (1770)— defined "Rancho" as: "those places in which few people live with few goods and housed in huts". While the Spanish friar, José Alejandro Patiño, in his text —"Topografía del Curato de Tlaxomulco" (1778)— defined it as: "Ranchos are in these Indian kingdoms, country houses of little pomp and value, in which poor and middle class men live cultivating the small lands that they own or rent, in which to sow, to the size of each of their possibilities and raising their domestic country animals, according to each of their strength."

These rural lands and hamlets, were part of a Hacienda, since most land belonged to the landed elites. Thus, a hacienda was made up of Ranchos, and in those Ranchos lived the people that worked for the hacienda, the Rancheros. The Rancheros managed the cattle and horses, working as Vaqueros, Caporales, Mayordomos or Horse-tamers, among other jobs. By the 1840s, Spanish (from Spain) dictionaries included the Mexican definition of Rancho as: "In Mexico it is a separate farmhouse dependent on a hacienda"; while for "Ranchero" they give the definition: "the one who lives on a rancho; it is usually understood the same as CAMPESINO [countryman, or farmer]". Spanish historian and journalist Niceto de Zamacois, defined the terms Ranchero and Rancho, as follows:

The men of the countryside who carry out their jobs on horseback are given the name of "Rancheros," derived from the word Rancho that is applied to a small hacienda, or to a part of a large one that is divided into villages or ranchos. Those who carry out the same tasks in the haciedas of Veracruz are given the name of "Jarochos."

Thomas Mayne Reid, an Irish-American novelist who fought in the Mexican-American War, defined the terms in the 1840’s, as follows:

The "RANCHERO" is a Mexican countryman, above the order of the serf or peon. He is the vaquero at times, or the arriero [muleteer], or he may be possessed of a small holding, and farm it for himself. He is a great horseman, and always mounted, galloping after cattle, or amusing himself in some other way. The Vaquero is also a ranchero; so, too, is the montero, who is so called from living in a mountainous district.

VAQUERO - A "Vaquero" is a ranchero or countryman, who looks after cattle. As Mexico is chiefly a grazing country it will be seen that there are many of its inhabitants employed in this pursuit. The vaquero is always mounted, and generally well dressed. He carries the lazo constantly; and he is the man, above all others, who can use it with dexterity. He can fling it over a bull's horns twenty yards off, or loop it round the foot of the animal when going at a full gallop! This feat I have witnessed a hundred times. Your vaquero is also expert in the game of "Colea de toros" or " bull-tailing"—that is, he can, on horseback, catch the tail of a running bull —whip it under the hind leg— and fling the animal on its back! This feat also have I witnessed over and again. The vaquero takes his name from "vacas," signifying cows or cattle.

Thus, Ranchero is the Mexican countryman, specifically a horseman, who performed all his duties on the hacienda or countryside on horseback, working as Vaqueros and Caporales, among other jobs. Charro started off in the 18th century as a derogatory term for Rancheros, synonymous with the English terms yokel, or “Bumpkin”; but evolved to be synonymous with Ranchero; thus both, Ranchero and Charro were, historically, the same thing, a name for the people of the countryside, specifically the horsemen. Although, in some instances, Charro was used specifically, for the Vaqueros of “Tierra-Adentro”, or the interior land, which included the Bajio and northern Mexico, or anything beyond north of Mexico City.

In his book —Mexico in 1842 (1844)– Spanish lawyer and monarchist, Luis Manuel del Rivero, wrote:

The Ranchero is a man of higher thoughts, very strong, great horseman, a good drinker, who spends a peso without hesitation when he has any; that when he walks he drags his colossal and sonorous spurs, while handling his quirt; that on horseback he never gets rid of his machete, tucked under his thigh, and often crossing it with that of his adversary, or with that of a friend, giving or receiving a slash merely for fun and amusement. He is a man who, confined in his rancheria, cultivates the land with his wife and children, or perhaps leaves this servile occupation to his family, and he gives himself up to the noblest of arms in the woods and at crossroads. He is a man that when he works in the haciendas, he performs all his tasks on horseback and follows his master everywhere, to whom he usually sells his body and soul. He is an Arab in his habits, a little nomadic, and more specifically in the knowledge and handling of the horse, which he raises and educates like a son, works him without compassion, and loves him with delirium as the faithful companion of his adventures, and the noble instrument of his amusements and his glories. His attire, boots made of leather with which the leg is wrapped several times; spurs, as I have said, colossal; wide leather or cloth pants over cloth underwear; cotton shirt; a sash with which the waist is secured; a cotona, that is, a short leather jacket that is worn over the head, and a very large and heavy chambergo or Jarano hat. For overdress, a Manga or Serape. His horse's trappings are no less grotesque, since the Vaquero saddle with its large stirrups and flaps, especially if it is complemented by an anquera, water shields and other trifles, is a world in the midst of which the Ranchero finds himself in his world, and he believes himself superior to all the powerful men of the earth, executing extremely difficult spins and movements.

An 1849 report on Guanajuato, in the Bajio region, states:

“The horsemen of the countryside wear the dress we call Charro, that is, leather or cloth pants with many buttons; embossed deer or goat skin boots; large spurs and a wide-brimmed hat, which are accompanied by the manga or serape, and water shields.”

in Spain and Latin-America, it simply means —“pastor de ganado vacuno”— a cowherd, herdsman, cattle-herder, or keeper of cows, regardless of how the job is performed. In the United States, where the word has gained mythical status and it is highly romanticized among western and cowboy historians and enthusiasts, it is defined as a highly skilled, horse-mounted livestock herder of a tradition that supposedly has its roots in the Iberian Peninsula and extensively developed in Mexico from a methodology brought to Latin America from Spain.

Vaquero is the Spanish word for cowherd, herdsman or herder of cattle. It derives from vaca, meaning "cow", which in turn comes from the Latin word vacca. Within Spain and Latin America, it holds no special meaning other than a “herdsman” or “cattle-herder” nor it is defined as being a “horse-mounted herdsman”. It’s simply defined as the job of guarding and leading the herds of horned cattle. Menawhile, in the United States, the word has been redefined, and highly romanticized, to mean a specific type of herdsman, one that is mounted, with a specific set of skills and traditions, believed to have been brought from Spain.