Arnold R. RojasThese Were The Vaqueros: Collected Works of Arnold R. Rojas

Love this book and all the stories, a great source of knowledge about Mexican American history. Only issue is that the pages are coming out of the book as I go. No bueno.

Native Californian vaquero and Renaissance man Arnold Rojas brilliantly immerses the reader in the California of yore. His book is an astonishing amalgam of the history of Spanish colonial Mexico, an exporation of the origins of and the culture of 19th century California, the development of Californio horsemanship from its Spanish roots, the ethnology of Mexico and California as the Spaniards interbred with indigenous peoples, and the culture of the California cattle industry as it evolved from a colonial enterprise through the arrival of Anglos and up to the great, large ranches of the late 19th and early 20th century. This book is informed by his extraordinary intelligence, as the bilingual and self-taught biliterate Rojas both recounts what he saw, experienced, and learned from his years working on the big ranches - but even moreso delves into the roots of the culture he lived. There is history, illuminating stories, revealing character studies, and a tender evocation of the past.A few examples: Rojas powerfully communicates the impact of the years of Spanish rule on the people. There is a touching account of one of his ancestors - a King's soldier - who married a native Mayo woman. This was extremely rare; and led to Rojas' mixed race ethnicity. Rojas paints the picture of early 19th century California as a Spanish colonial land, a place where Spanish was the dominant language and English was a rarely heard foreign language. And, his accounts of the lives of the men who raised the cattle and rode the horses communicates their admirable qualities, integrity, skills, and joy in their difficult profession.I have read countless books in my now 66 years. Truly, I have never learned more from one book as I have from THESE WERE THE VAQUEROS. A masterpiece.

This book answers many questions I have about hackamore reining and the men who used them.

Having read one of Arnold Rojas's books years ago, I was pleased to find this collection of five books. His skill in using the English language is very impressive and unexpected in this kind of book, especially since he was self-educated simply by reading. He studied ancient and European history to trace the linage of the Spanish horses, and his findings and opinions are very interesting. I say interesting rather than informative because his bias toward the Spanish and Mexican ethnicity is very evident and he gives little credit to most other cultures in developing the methods of using the horse. He does, however, give praise to the contributions of the American Indian.Due to the fact that he intermixes history with the legends and tales of the Vaqueros, it is hard to distinguish exactly what the reader is supposed to believe. However, I know of no other writer who has recorded so much about the Vaquero and the early California ranches.As someone who spent his youth as a cowboy on a large California ranch, I can personally vouch for the authenticity of much of what he says about horsemanship.For those who are interested in the real history of the old west that is also embellished with some good tales for entertainment, I do not hesitate to recommend this collection of the writings of Arnold Rojas.I have to give it a five star rating, and not because it is perfect, but because there is nothing I know of that is comparable.In my own books (links removed by Amazon's Demand), I only touch on things that he explains in detail..

Thanks!

This book was recommended for my 11 year old grandson who has a difficult time reading- and loves the old west. The stories are simply written, short, yet packed full of engaging information. It will hold the attention of a young boy- but will also hold the attention of anyone who is interested in the history of the cowboy vaqueros.

This book is amazing. It took a minute to get used to the format; there aren't chapters but instead little sections, sometimes 2 or 3 in a page with small anecdotes that don't always flow. Didn't bother me, they are all fascinating and packed with information. It's amazing how you can learn so much about history but also learn to improve your horsemanship and stockmanship just from reading these accounts.

I’m from K.C. and remember the author from my childhood. I bought the book for my youngest son, the one of my four children who most appreciates his roots.

It is a collection of short stories and descriptions of how California was in the golden age of the vaquero. What makes this book special is that it's written by a vaquero that lived it. He talks about the Californians superstitions back then, for example, some Vaqueros would begin the breaking a horse process only during a full moon. A very good book.