Charro

Charro! is a 1969 American Western film starring Elvis Presley, shot on location at Apacheland Movie Ranch and Old Tucson Studios in Arizona. This was Presley's only film in which he did not sing on-screen; the film featured no songs at all other than the main title theme, which was played over the opening credits. It was also the only movie in which Presley wore a beard. The film was novelized by Harry Whittington. Ina Balin, Victor French, Barbara Werle, and Solomon Sturges co-starred. It was the final film for director Charles Marquis Warren, who also produced and wrote it. It was also the only Presley film distributed by National General Pictures. The film made a profit but was not a runaway success, and remains one of Presley's least-seen films despite being regarded among his best in terms of his acting (as opposed to his singing).

de charro ", "hick", "country bumpkin", or "rube". Charro is a Mexican term that has been used historically to describe the horseman from the countryside, the ranchero, who lived and worked in the haciendas and performed all his tasks on horseback, working mainly as vaqueros and caporales, among other jobs. They were renowned for their superb horsemanship, their skill in handling the lasso, and for their unique costume designed specially for horseback riding. Today, this name is given to someone who practices charreada (similar to a rodeo), which is considered the national sport of Mexico and which maintained traditional rules and regulations in effect from colonial times up to the Mexican Revolution. ==Etymology== The oldest records of the word "charro" date back to the 16th century. It appears as a word in the Portuguese and Galician languages, with a derogatory meaning, synonymous with "foolish", "stupid", "idiot", "vile", and "despicable". The Castilian writer Vicente de Olea compiled the word in his "Vocablos Gallegos Escuros" (Obscure Galician Words) in 1536, where he defined it as "crazy." The Spanish paremiologist Hernán Núñez defined it as a synonym of "fool" and specified that it was a word of Galician origin in his work "Refranes, o Proverbios en Romance" (1555). The word was first documented in Spanish in 1627 in the book Vocabulario de refranes y frases proverbiales by Gonzalo Correas, based on the texts of Hernán Núñez. Here also, it had a derogatory connotation, synonymous with "fool", "stupid", "foolish", or "imbecile". More than a hundred years later, in 1729, the word would be included in the first dictionary edited and published by the Real Academia Española (RAE), the Diccionario de Autoridades, where it would be defined as a derogatory adjective used to refer to people from the countryside, villages, or rural areas, synonymous with yokel and "rustic": In the first edition of the RAE dictionary published in 1780¹, that definition was maintained, defining the word as: "the rough and rustic person, as villagers tend to be"; but they would add a second meaning for the first time: "adjective that is applied to some things that are too laden with decoration and in bad taste". Thus, the word "charro" was used in the 18th century as an insult or derogatory nickname for country folk, who were considered coarse, rude, and rustic; and for things that overly decorated and in bad taste; synonymous with the English words: "hick", "bumpkin", "yokel", "boor", "garish", "gaudy", "tasteless" and "ridiculous". In 1745, the Basque Jesuit, Manuel Larramendi, argued the word was of Basque origin, and it meant, "vile and despicable thing." He wrote that country people and villagers were called that word out of contempt. The historian and philosopher Antonio de Capmany y Montpalau, argued that the origin of the word was Arabic and that it originally meant, "bad of moral malice and of customs," passing on to the Spanish to mean "artistic malice." Thus something "charro" is the same as something gaudy and tasteless. In Mexico, the word has been documented since the late 18th century, originally used as a derogatory term to refer to the Rancheros, the horsemen who inhabited the countryside and haciendas, who carried out all their tasks on horseback; as country people, they were perceived as ignorant, crude, and unsophisticated. Over time, the word charro evolved in Mexico until it was redefined, going from a derogatory adjective to a complimentary noun, synonymous with Ranchero, skilled vaquero, and superb horseman. In 1850, the Spanish historian and writer Niceto de Zamacois, based in Mexico, defined what Charro meant in Mexico: ==Origins== The Viceroyalty of New Spain had prohibited Native Americans from riding or owning horses, with the exception of the Tlaxcaltec nobility, other allied chieftains, and their descendants. However, raising cattle required the use of horses; farmers would hire cowboys for this task. These cowboys were preferably mestizo and rarely, Indians. Some of the requirements for riding horses were being employed by a plantation, needing to use saddles that differed from saddles used by the military, and needing to wear leather clothing: this is where the term "cuerudo" (leathered one) originated. Over time, landowners and their employees began to adapt the cowboy style to the Mexican terrain and climate, evolving away from the Spanish style of cattle raising. This process began with those living in the Mexican Plateau and later spread to the rest of the country. After the Mexican War of Independence horse riding grew in popularity. Many riders of mixed race became mounted mercenaries, messengers and plantation workers. Originally known as Chinacos, these horsemen later became the modern "vaqueros" . Wealthy plantation owners would often acquire decorated versions of the distinctive Charro clothing and horse harnesses to display status in the community. Poor riders would equip their horses with harnesses made from agave or would border their saddles with chamois skin. ==Early twentieth-century usage== wearing a charro suit Prior to the Mexican Revolution of 1910, the distinctive charro suit was widely worn by men of the affluent upper classes on social occasions, especially when on horseback. This outfit often included a sombrero, sarape, heavily embroidered jacket and tightly cut trousers. A light grey version with silver embroidery and buttons was the uniform of the rurales (mounted rural police). The most notable example of 'charrería' is General Emiliano Zapata, known before the revolution as a skilled horseback rider and horse tamer. Although it is said that charros originated in Jalisco, Mexico, it was not until the 1930s, as rural people began moving towards the cities, that charrería became a formal sport with rules. During this time, paintings of charros also became popular. During World War II, an army of 150,000 charros was created, the "Legión de Guerrilleros Mexicanos", in anticipation of an eventual attack from German forces. It was led by Antolin Jimenez Gamas, president of the National Association of Charros, a former soldier of Pancho Villa during the Mexican Revolution who climbed the ranks to Lieutenant Colonel in the Personal Guard of Villa's Dorados. ==Use of term== Although the word charro was originally a derogatory term for country people (synonymous with the English words yokel or bumpkin, and gaudy), it evolved independently in different countries, becoming a demonym for the people of the province of Salamanca in Spain (also known as Campo Charro), especially in the areas of Alba de Tormes, Vitigudino, Ciudad Rodrigo, and Ledesma. It also became a noun synonymous with the name Ranchero, the horse-mounted people of the Mexican countryside. In other parts of Latin America, it retained its original derogatory meaning. In Puerto Rico, charro is a generally accepted slang term to mean someone or something that is obnoxiously out of touch with social norms or current styles, similar to the United States usage of , (i.e. gaudy). The traditional Mexican charro is known for colorful clothing and participating in charreada, a specific type of Mexican rodeo. The charreada is the national sport in Mexico, and is regulated by the Federación Mexicana de Charrería. ==In cinema== The "charro film" was a genre of the Golden Age of Mexican cinema between 1935 and 1959, and may have played a large role in popularizing the image of the charro, akin to what occurred with the cowboy in the advent of the American Western. The most notable charro stars were José Alfredo Jiménez, Pedro Infante, Jorge Negrete, Antonio Aguilar, and Tito Guizar. The 1969 Western film Charro! was Elvis Presley's only movie in which he did not sing on-screen. The film featured no songs at all other than his voice singing "Charro!" over the main title and opening credits as gunslinger Presley rides into town. It was also the only movie in which Presley wore a beard. The film's promotion read, 'A different kind of role, a different kind of man'. ==See also== Charro Days Charro outfit Sombrero Sombrero Festival Frijoles charros ==References== ==External links== Arte en la Charerria: The Artisanship of Mexican Equestrian Culture at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, Oklahoma City Art of the Charrería at the Museum of the American West Charreria, the symbol of Mexico Federación Mexicana de Charrería (Spanish) Nacional de Charros (Spanish) Official Rulebook (Spanish) "CHARRO USA" U.S. Radio, Magazine and Media News off Charreria (Mexican Rodeo) [https://fmcharreria.org.mx/]

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