Escaramuza charra is the only female equestrian event in the Mexican charrería. The escaramuza means "skirmish" and consists of a team riding horses in choreographed synchronized maneuvers to music.[1][2][3] The women ride side-saddle and wear traditional Mexican outfit that include sombreros, dresses, and matching accessories. A team consists of 16 women, but only 8 ride at a time.[4] The routine is practiced in a lienzo, or a circular arena.[1]
The escaramuza season runs from February to November. The U.S. nationals are held on Labor Day weekend, while the grand finales are held in Mexico that brings together over 80 teams from both sides of the border.
History
editCharria was inspired by the vaquero culture ranching traditions during the period of colonial Mexico beginning the eighteen century northern and central Mexico.[5] [6] The sport was inspired "by the Mexican adelitas, who fought in the Mexican Revolution."[4][1] Although charrería is Mexico's national sport, there are charro and escaramuza teams in the United States and Canada.
Typically, rodeo families pass the charro tradition on from father to son, but also have started getting women involved.
See also
edit- Escaramuza: Riding from the Heart film (2012) http://www.ponyhighway.com/emz.html Archived 2013-09-23 at the Wayback Machine
- Sands, Katheleen M. (1993). Charrería Mexicana: An Equestrian Folk Tradition. Tucson: University of Arizona Press.
References
edit- ^ a b c Orozco, Gisela (3 May 2019). "Escaramuzas — girls who practice equestrian — promote the culture and legacy of Mexico's national sport". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2019-07-03.
- ^ Ramírez, Ana C. (2016). "Escaramuzas Charras: Paradoxes of Performance in a Mexican Women's Equestrian Sport". The Meaning of Horses: Biosocial Encounters. London: Routledge.
- ^ Nájera-Ramírez, Olga (2002). "Mounting Traditions: The Origin and Evolution of la escaramuza Charra". Chicana Traditions: Continuity and Change. Urbana: University of Illinois Press.
- ^ a b Doyle, Mariel Cruz, Devin (2018-05-25). "Riding High". Vogue. Retrieved 2019-07-03.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Sands, Kathleen Mullen (1993). Charrería Mexicana: An Equestrian Folk Tradition. University of Arizona Press. pp. 41–60. doi:10.2307/j.ctv1jf2cpk. ISBN 978-0-8165-1406-9. JSTOR j.ctv1jf2cpk.
- ^ Ford, Elyssa (2020). Rodeo as Refuge, Rodeo as Rebellion: Gender, Race, and Identity in the American Rodeo. University Press of Kansas. p. 20. doi:10.2307/j.ctv1f9pw39. ISBN 978-0-7006-3031-8. JSTOR j.ctv1f9pw39.