Colorado expert explains the history of vaqueros and how they inspired cowboy culture

Cowboys are part of the rich tapestry that makes Colorado ... Colorado. Along with beautiful vistas, great skiing and great food.

The popular image of the cowboy is a rugged American man bringing justice to the Wild West. But cowboys and cowboy culture were inspired by a mixture or two even older cultures that collided in Colorado and the Southwest.

"It's a beautiful, wonderful deep story," said Angel Vigil a historian who wrote the book on Vaqueros.

But before all of that, across the West, were Indigenous Americans. When those people came face to face with Spanish colonizers, the first cowboys were born.

The Spanish brought horses and cattle and mixed with the Indigenous people already here. They also taught them the Andalusian art of working with large animals.

"Nine hundred years of knowledge of how to work with large animals in wide open spaces," said Vigil.

They were called vaqueros, and they were their own society before English speakers made it west of the Mississippi River.

"They love the land they work on, they love the animals they work with, and they love the people they work with real, simple, fundamental values," said Vigil.

But once English speakers made it out here, the vaquero became the stuff of legend. 

"They wrote these highly fictionalized romanticized adventure tales. Dime store novels. Sent them back east. All of a sudden, the world was enflamed with this image. The greatest image America has ever exported," said Vigil.

He says if you pay attention, the connection between the Mexican vaquero and the American Cowboy is obvious.

"Every single thing. Ranch and cowboy culture, the type of clothes to wear, the tools to use, the language to use," said Vigil. "The word rodeo comes from the Spanish word, 'rodear' that just means to gather up in a circle."

Angel even says John B. Stetson was inspired to create his famous hat by vaqueros and their sombreros that shaded them from the sun.

"So, he comes out here. All the men have the wrong hat. It was post-Civil War, they had the soldier's hat or they have what I call a Gabby Hayes hat, a slouch hat. Just a rag on top of your head. But the vaqueros had the right hat. Wide brim, shade on your face, tall crown, air circulation," said Vigil.

He says the modern cowboy is the natural result of what happens when cultures collide.

So, like the indigenous Americans and Spanish settlers became Mexican vaqueros... vaqueros became cowboys. No matter what you call them Vigil says we owe a lot to them.

"Why is there Gene Autrey? Why is there hamburgers? Why is there McDonalds? Why do we have a football team called the Broncos? The answer for all of that is the Spanish brought over all the horses and all the cattle," said Vigil.

If you want to read more about vaqueros you can find more of Vigil's website.