There’s absolutely something to be said for being a lifelong learner. When your brain can get fired up because of new experiences and knowledge yet to be gleaned…

This year is the 130th anniversary of the Fort Worth Livestock Show and Rodeo and we were there two weeks ago. A true first for me…

I didn’t know that this event started in 1896. 

While there, we admired an array of livestock…cattle (longhorns! wow) and goats (love!) specifically. Actually, what stood out for me were all the people that were there to support their animals and their livelihood. Family farms being represented…dads, moms and children who showed up to show off their animals…I got to see the human face of this event (for the first time). I’m not sure I’d ever humanized what I knew about the livestock industry before, as my knowledge was largely theoretical vs real life. To see the faces behind it all…I was very moved.

I also didn’t know that the first rodeo – actually charrería – was in Mexico in 1551. And, I also didn’t know that this event hails from the bullfighting tradition in Spain. 

As I listened to the announcer at the event, my mind started going back, back, back to the Spanish conquest and those early settlers….some five hundred years ago…and, also, what I know about the impact that the Spanish presence had on indigenous people. Until that moment, I  can honestly say that I had never stopped to think about the origin of this event and the lengthy history behind it.

We spent the night at a Mexican Celebration, in honor of the role Mexico played in the development of the West (alongside the US), charrería (similar to rodeo), the charro (Mexican horseman/cowboy) and the escarramuzas (female horse riders, dating back to participation in the Mexican Revolution). Again, all new information and experiences that I had that weekend. My rendition is, for sure, simplistic, based only on what I saw and heard. I’m sure there is a far richer history still to be explored. 

Let me say this: this isn’t about liking or not liking rodeo, charrería, cowboys, cowgirls, charros and escaramuzzas. It’s about understanding how and why things come to pass…appreciation of someone else’s culture and history. Even if it’s different than ours…actually, especially when it’s different from ours. We can all benefit from looking towards vs away from what’s different. Broadening and deepening knowledge of people and their individual and collective histories…

PS For more art journaling stories check out my book, Diary of a Curly Top  Everyday Reflections Through Art at  https://a.co/d/b7JUlkD