关于“美国西部牛仔的历史”英文

AcowboytendscattleandhorsesoncattleranchesinNorthandSouthAmerica.Thecowboyisnormallyananimalherdermostcommonlyinchargeofthehorsesand/orcattle,whereasthewrangler'sworkismorespecifictohorses.Inadditiontoranchwork,somecowboysworkinandparticipateinrodeos,andmanycowboysworkonlyintherodeo.

TheSpanishdevelopedwhatwenowconsiderthecowboytradition,beginningwiththehaciendasystemofmedievalSpain.ThisstyleofcattleranchingspreadthroughoutmuchoftheIberianpeninsulaandlater,wasimportedtotheAmericas.Bothregionspossessedadryclimatewithsparsegrass,andthuslargeherdsofcattlerequiredvastamountsoflandinordertoobtainsufficientforage.Theneedtocoverdistancesgreaterthanapersononfootcouldmanagegaverisetothedevelopmentofthehorseback-mountedvaquero.

Duringthe16thcentury,theConquistadorsandotherSpanishsettlersbroughttheircattle-raisingtraditionsaswellastheirhorsesandcattletotheAmericas,startingwiththeirarrivalinwhattodayisMexicoandFlorida.[7]ThetraditionsofSpainweretransformedbythegeographic,environmentalandculturalcircumstancesofNewSpain,whichlaterbecameMexicoandthesouthwesternUnitedStates.Inturn,thelandandpeopleoftheAmericasalsosawdramaticchangesduetoSpanishinfluence.

Thearrivalofhorseswasparticularlysignificant,asequineshadbeenextinctintheAmericassincetheendoftheprehistoriciceage.However,horsesquicklymultipliedinAmericaandbecamecrucialtothesuccessoftheSpanishandlatersettlersfromothernations.TheearliesthorseswereoriginallyofAndalusian,BarbandArabianancestry,[8]butanumberofuniquelyAmericanhorsebreedsdevelopedinNorthandSouthAmericathroughselectivebreedingandbynaturalselectionofanimalsthatescapedtothewild.TheMustangandothercolonialhorsebreedsarenowcalledwild,butinrealityareferalhorses—descendantsofdomesticatedanimals.

Thus,thoughpopularlyconsideredasaNorthAmericanicon,thetraditionalcowboyactuallycomesfromaHispanictradition,whichevolvedfurther,particularlyintheCentralStatesofMexico,JaliscoandMichoacán,wheretheMexicancowboywouldeventuallybeknownasacharro,aswellasareastothenorththatlaterbecametheSouthwesternUnitedStates.MostvaquerosweremenofmestizoandNativeAmericanoriginwhilemostofthehacendados(owners)wereethnicallySpanish.[9]

AsEnglish-speakingtradersandsettlersmovedintotheWesternUnitedStates,EnglishandSpanishtraditions,languageandculturemergedtosomedegree,withthevaquerotraditionprovidingthefoundationoftheAmericancowboy.BeforetheMexican-AmericanWarin1848,NewEnglandmerchantswhotraveledbyshiptoCaliforniaencounteredbothhacendadosandvaqueros,tradingmanufacturedgoodsforthehidesandtallowproducedfromvastcattleranches.AmericantradersalongwhatlaterbecameknownastheSantaFeTrailhadsimilarcontactswithvaquerolife.Startingwiththeseearlyencounters,thelifestyleandlingoofthevaquerobeganatransformationwhichmergedwithEnglishculturaltraditionsandproducedwhatbecameknowninAmericancultureasthecowboy.