Jarocho

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 (cowherd) and everything related to cattle ranching.

[10][11] 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.

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.

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.

However, the Cuban-Mexican professor, Félix Ramos y Duarte, argued in his —Diccionario de Mejicanismos (1895)— that Jarocho came from jara, which, according to him, means hair or shag, alluding to the "shaggy" or unkept appearance of country men.

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 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.

[26] It is these cowboys and militiamen of black descent from the Tierra-Caliente of Veracruz that towards the 19th century, once the Independence of Mexico was consummated, began to be known under the term of Jarochos, a derogatory nickname that originated because they used those lances, colloquially known as jarochas, for herding cattle.

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.

[32] 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:[33] “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.

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.

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.

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.

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.