Interesting op-ed in the L.A. Times in defense of the Charrería (Mexican Rodeo):
On Sunday, thousands of charros (Mexican cowboys) and their fans will gather in the Mexican city of Queretaro for the final rounds of the 71st annual National Charro Competition. Charrería (Mexican rodeo), not soccer, is Mexico’s national sport, and the competition is as popular as the Super Bowl or NBA finals. Mexican officials, dignitaries and celebrities will attend. So will several hundred charros from the United States, who have emerged victorious after a year’s worth of competitions in California, Texas, Illinois, Oklahoma and other states. In the U.S., the event is unlikely to register, but the American public should pay closer attention: Mexican rodeo is a contentious issue bound up with the immigration debate.
El Paso de la Muerte (The Pass of Death): A charro riding bareback leaps from his own horse to the bare back of a loose, unbroken horse without reins and rides it until it stops bucking. Juevos of steel required.
Well, count me as a supporter of Charrería. It’s a beautiful, manly art and I am unalterably opposed to leaching all the magnificent rough stuff out of the world in the interest of pandering to the anti-heroic sensibilities of pearl-clutching ninnies. Viva Charrería!
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