We first introduced readers to Fernando Ortega in a 2017 story about his San Antonio secret suppers. In the months since, Fernando has been a great friend to TheTexasWildflower.com–even generously offering a giveaway of his family’s imported olive oil, ILOVEACEITE, to a few of our lucky subscribers this July.
But Ortega is more than just a business owner and a great cook. He’s also a talented photographer who brings fresh insights into Texas culture. We invited him to share with readers some of his photos and his personal account of that night the Spaniard turned up at the Mexican-style rodeo with his camera in tow.
Essay and Photographs by Fernando Ortega
When it comes to thinking of Texas, especially from outside of the United States, it’s hard to imagine what the state’s culture is actually like. Many people think of the oil and gas industry, but Texas is a big state with many different cultural influences.
For example, this year we’re celebrating San Antonio’s tricentennial, an opportunity for residents and visitors to discover the region’s complex cultural heritage, commemorate its storied history, recognize its progress, and collaborate on its bright future.
It was in this tricentennial spirit that I accepted an invitation to join a gran coleadero, part of a charreada or Mexican rodeo. Being from Spain myself and now spending a lot of time in San Antonio as I work to bring my family’s olive oil to America, I’d heard about charros, coleaderos, and jaripeos. These things were new to me, and I only grasped initially that the invitation involved the art of riding horses, bulls, music, and a fun spectacle.
“Why not?” I thought.
And off I went to Atascosa, just southwest of San Antonio on the road to Laredo.
Upon arriving at Rancho El Unico, things started happening fast. I watched as the animals were downloaded before the event and talked with the cowboys and cattlemen. They explained to me the words I’d heard before.
Coleadero is a tricky steer-wrangling game. The charro waits at a long wall for the animal to run. The charro then chases the animal, seizes its tail, and moves rapidly to sweep the animal’s legs out from under it, to bring it down. Points are awarded for flair, speed, and how elegantly the man brings the beast down.
Jaripeo is the art of bull riding, somewhat similar to what you’d see at a traditional Texas rodeo. Sometimes called jaripeo ranchero this is an old form of bull riding that requires the rider to try to stay on the bull until the animal tires and stops bucking. From what I understand, this event is also practiced in Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, and Chile.
Of course, besides these events, there were horses and nice Mexican food. Just as I was leaving, people were preparing to dance. As a Spaniard and a photographer, I enjoyed learning about this cultural tradition, just one part of the larger, complex, and endlessly diverse culture that is modern Texas.
To experience more of Fernando Ortega’s photography, see his website Vagamundos as well as his Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram feeds.
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