Mexico en la Sangre: Celebrating Hispanic heritage through charrería and tradition in Fort Worth
FORT WORTH – "The beautiful dresses, the beautiful culture, the beautiful smells, the color."
It's all part of what Isabel Valdez says makes Mexico en la Sangre, or Mexico in Our Blood, so unique.
Valdez is the director of Mexico en la Sangre, a Fort Worth rodeo show that honors Hispanic heritage through charrería (Mexican rodeo), dancing horses, escaramuzas, live music and more.
"I love the under-pressure thing, and it's a show that you have to be on top of," Valdez said. "I've had horses all our life. I was about 14 years old when I was in my first escaramuza team."
Escaramuza means "skirmish" in English. It is the only female equestrian event in the charrería and consists of team horse riding with choreographed in-sync moves to music. The women ride side-saddle and wear traditional Mexican garb that includes sombreros, moños (bows), and dresses.
"It's like synchronized swimming, but with a horse that doubles, triples or weight," Valdez explained. "People say it's the halftime of the show. People love it."
Founder and producer Cassy Lopez says despite the chaos of a show, her favorite part is when she stops and watches the crowd reactions.
"Seeing everyone's smiles when they see what we're doing," she beamed. "It's an entirely different energy and it's beautiful. We're making sure to tie traditions and hold on to them and the culture—and it's all shared in one rodeo."
Mexico en la Sangre was created in 2021, when the Cowtown Coliseum and Visit Fort Worth asked Lopez to create a Mexican rodeo show.
"My brother and I immediately said yes," Lopez said. "We had about four weeks to put on our first one, and they immediately asked when's the next one. It just started from there."
Traditions and culture are the foundation to the meaning Mexico en la Sangre got its name.
"My godfather actually helped me pick the name," Lopez recalled. "He's like, well it has to be something that shows what's in our blood—to be a proud Mexican. We want to make sure it's known it's in our blood."
Valdez joined the rodeo show two years later, but the meaning it holds for her is the same.
"It's me," she noted. "Mexico en la Sangre is my family. We are all proud of being Mexicans. I think we're more proud of being charros."
Charros are often considered one of the original influences on the American cowboy, which is something Valdez says a lot of people might not know.
"Back in the day of the old cowboys, they learned everything from the charros," she explained. "The cattle and the rope tricks and all that. Charrería is part of the Western world. There would not be without the charrería."
This is something that inspires both Valdez and Lopez as they continue entertaining audiences.
"To my family and to my husband, who is a charro, I think it's a great privilege of us being representative now and people wanting to know the charrería," Valdez remarked.
With shows in the heart of Fort Worth, Lopez says it's important to make sure these traditions are shared so they can be preserved.
"It's a community and traditions that sometimes get forgotten," Lopez said. "It's extremely important that the traditions are brought to people that don't actually get to see them. We do it to share not only our traditions, and culture, and heritage, but because we love what we do. We do it as a family."
Valdez and Lopez say they welcome everyone into the charrería as it continues to grow. For tickets to a show, you can visit cowtowncoliseum.com.