029: Native American Vaqueros on the California Frontier
03/14/24 • 15 min
In this episode, we look at the history of Native American Vaqueros.
Vaqueros were skilled horsemen who managed cattle and horses. Their tradition probably originates in the horse culture that arrived in Spain from North Africa in the 8th century AD and is widespread in Latin America.
The mission era brought ranching life to Alta California and created the unique figure of the California vaquero. Franciscan friars had some of the most trusted Native Americans at the missions trained as vaqueros, who excelled at horsemanship. Eventually, Indian vaqueros were a key part of rancho life on the California frontier.
Full text of the podcast
Learn more about Native American Vaqueros:
- Book: Rose Marie Beebe and Robert Senkewicz. Testimonios: Early California through the Eyes of Women, 1815–1848.
- Book: Russell Freedman. In the Days of the Vaqueros: America’s First True Cowboys.
- Book: Jo Mora. Californios: The Saga of the Hard-riding Vaqueros, America’s First Cowboys.
- Book: George Harwood Phillips: Vineyards and Vaqueros: Indian Labor and the Economic Expansion of Southern California, 1771–1877.
- Book: Arnold Rojas. These Were The Vaqueros: Collected Works of Arnold R. Rojas
- Book: Stephen W. Silliman: Lost Laborers in Colonial California: Native Americans and the Archaeology of Rancho Petaluma.
- Book chapter: Lee Panich: “Indigenous Vaqueros in Colonial California” in Foreign Objects: Rethinking Indigenous Consumption in American Archaeology.
- Article: Paul Albert Lacson. “Born of Horses:’ Missionaries, Indigenous Vaqueros, and Ecological Expansion during the Spanish Colonization of California.”
Give a one-time donation
Learn more about the California Frontier Project:
Contact:
[email protected]
In this episode, we look at the history of Native American Vaqueros.
Vaqueros were skilled horsemen who managed cattle and horses. Their tradition probably originates in the horse culture that arrived in Spain from North Africa in the 8th century AD and is widespread in Latin America.
The mission era brought ranching life to Alta California and created the unique figure of the California vaquero. Franciscan friars had some of the most trusted Native Americans at the missions trained as vaqueros, who excelled at horsemanship. Eventually, Indian vaqueros were a key part of rancho life on the California frontier.
Full text of the podcast
Learn more about Native American Vaqueros:
- Book: Rose Marie Beebe and Robert Senkewicz. Testimonios: Early California through the Eyes of Women, 1815–1848.
- Book: Russell Freedman. In the Days of the Vaqueros: America’s First True Cowboys.
- Book: Jo Mora. Californios: The Saga of the Hard-riding Vaqueros, America’s First Cowboys.
- Book: George Harwood Phillips: Vineyards and Vaqueros: Indian Labor and the Economic Expansion of Southern California, 1771–1877.
- Book: Arnold Rojas. These Were The Vaqueros: Collected Works of Arnold R. Rojas
- Book: Stephen W. Silliman: Lost Laborers in Colonial California: Native Americans and the Archaeology of Rancho Petaluma.
- Book chapter: Lee Panich: “Indigenous Vaqueros in Colonial California” in Foreign Objects: Rethinking Indigenous Consumption in American Archaeology.
- Article: Paul Albert Lacson. “Born of Horses:’ Missionaries, Indigenous Vaqueros, and Ecological Expansion during the Spanish Colonization of California.”
Give a one-time donation
Learn more about the California Frontier Project:
Contact:
[email protected]
Previous Episode
028: Native Life at Mission San Miguel
In this episode, we look at Native American life at Mission San Miguel Arcángel through the eyes of the padres who oversaw the mission.
Mission San Miguel is located in central California, almost equally distant from San Francisco to the north and Los Angeles to the south.
In 1813, the Spanish Government sent a questionnaire to the priests of the California Missions to learn about the life of the native people at each of the missions.
Each mission provided answers with more or less detail depending on the temperament and experience of the missionaries.
The padres recorded their observations of the life of the native people at the mission and often wrote down what they understood about indigenous customs outside the mission boundaries.
Their answers provide valuable glimpses into the lives of the native community at each mission over 200 years ago.
Give a one-time donation
Learn more about the California Frontier Project:
Contact:
[email protected]
Next Episode
030: Fr. José Altimira, Sonoma and the End of the Mission Chain
The episode chronicles the story of Fr. José Altimira, a Spanish Franciscan missionary in early 19th century California. Altimira pushed to establish a new mission north of San Francisco Bay, clashing with his Franciscan superiors; he explored the Sonoma Valley and established a new mission in 1823 with support from Mexican civil authorities. Though the mission was allowed to continue, Altimira's time there was filled with tension. As the last mission founded under Mexican rule, San Francisco Solano marked the northernmost reach of the California mission chain.
Give a one-time donation
Learn more about the California Frontier Project:
Contact:
[email protected]
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