From: george.kincaid@worldnet.att.net   
      
   So being a vaquero (looking after cattle) was a respectable job, but being a   
   cowboy (in the old, thief sense of the word) wasn't. I imagine the   
   English-speaking cattlemen learned their trade from the Spanish, and then   
   adapted the techniques and gear for their own ranching. Interesting bit of   
   culture contact there. I heard a little bit about that on Wild West Tech, a   
   History Channel show. Words like rodeo and lasso are Spanish, too, right?   
   The Spanish vaqueros would work for hacienda owners? I hope that's not too   
   many questions--just got my curiosity piqued! ;)   
   "Gerald Clough"  wrote in message   
   news:NcCdnWagnPiqQvPfRVn-iw@texas.net...   
   > Al B. Traus wrote:   
   >   
   >> In article ,   
   >> george.kincaid@worldnet.att.net says...   
   >>   
   >>   
   >>>I've heard the vaquero mentioned quite a bit. How common were they, I   
   >>>wonder?   
   >>   
   >>   
   >> Vaquero translates to "cow tender" - or simply "cowboy."   
   >> IOWs, it's Spanish for "cowboy."   
   >   
   > And really the acceptable term in the early days, "cowboy" ("cow boy",   
   > actually) in Texas implying thievery after the Texas revolution, probably   
   > a holdover from American revolutionary times when it also implied a thief.   
   > And vaquero was very induring and the common term in South Texas into   
   > modern times. In California, too, I'm told - and it's variation, buckaroo,   
   > up north.   
   >   
   > --   
   >                       Gerald Clough   
   >    "Nothing has any value, unless you know you can give it up."   
   >   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)