FREE El Vaquero Outdoor Show at Greenville Tech

Greenville Tech Barton Campus. Bring lawn seating. In the case of inclement weather we will move indoors (Seats require climbing stairs). You will need to come early to get a seat. First come first served. Doors will open 45 minutes before show time.

El Vaquero portrayed by Angel Vigil

El Vaquero America’s First Cowboy

El Vaquero the Spanish colonial cowboy is a true American hero. He was the first cowboy to ride the open ranges and sleep under the stars. He was the first cowboy to tame the wild horses of the plains and deliver vast herds of cattle across great distances. He was the first master of the basic and eternal cowboy skills: riding and roping. His language gave us the words we now accept as common cowboy lingo: rodeo chaps wrangler lariat lasso mustang corral buckaroo bronco stampede and ten-gallon hat to name a few. 

Without the Spanish Vaquero there would be no John Wayne no Gene Autry no Roy Rogers no Lone Ranger no Annie Oakley no Cisco Kid no Hopalong Cassidy no rodeos no Stetson cowboy hat no cowboy boots no horses no cattle no cowboys singing around the campfire no country western music no Hank Williams no Willie Nelson no “Black Hat” modern country western singers no “Mama Don’t Let Your Babies Grow up to Be Cowboys” no Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Shows no Gunsmoke and dozens of other TV cowboy shows. El Vaquero is the seminal figure in the creation of the American West.

The stories of El Vaquero explain the origins of the most powerful and enduring American myth: the cowboy on his horse riding tall in the saddle his self-reliant independent spirit representing all that is good in the American character. The stories of El Vaquero are the stories of America.

Host or Publisher Lara Kaufmann