Charreria

Charrería is a competitive event similar to rodeo and was developed from animal husbandry practices used on the haciendas of old Mexico. The sport has been described as "living history," or as an art form drawn from the demands of working life.[1] In 2016, charrería was inscribed in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO. Evolving from the traditions brought from Spain in the 16th century, the first charreadas were ranch work competitions between haciendas. The modern Charreada developed after the Mexican Revolution when charro traditions were disappearing. The competing charros often came from families with a tradition of Charreria, and teams today are often made up from extended families who have been performing for up to five generations. The charreada consists of nine events for men plus one for women, all of which involve horses, cattle or both.[5] Some of the events in the charreada have been criticized by animal advocacy groups and some states have banned certain events.[6] However, there is an absence of independent statistical data and unbiased recording of the injury rate of animals has not been undertaken.