Jaripeo () refers to a form of

bull riding Bull riding is a rodeo sport that involves a rider getting on a bucking bull and attempting to stay mounted while the animal tries to buck off the rider. American bull riding has been called "the most dangerous eight seconds in sports." To recei ...

practiced mainly in central and southern

Mexico Mexico (Spanish language, Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a List of sovereign states, country in the southern portion of North America. It is borders of Mexico, bordered to the north by the United States; to the so ...

. It developed in the 16th century and originally involved riding fighting bulls to the death, but later evolved to where contestants attempt to ride bucking bulls until the animals tire and stopped

bucking Bucking is a movement performed by an animal in which it lowers its head and raises its hindquarters into the air while kicking out with the hind legs. It is most commonly seen in herbivores such as equines, cattle, deer, goats, and sheep. Most r ...

. Jaripeos traditionally take place in lienzo charros (another word by which it can be known is toriles) or bull rings, but can also take place in modern arenas.

History

The word Jaripeo derived from the

Purépecha language Purépecha (also ''P'urhépecha'' , tsz, Phorhé or ''Phorhépecha''), often called Tarascan, which is a pejorative term coined by Spanish colonizers ( es, Tarasco), is a language isolate or small language family that is spoken by some 140,000 P ...

in the Mexican state of

Michoacán Michoacán, formally Michoacán de Ocampo (; Purépecha: ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Michoacán de Ocampo ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Michoacán de Ocampo), is one of the 32 states which comprise the Federal Entities of ...

comes from Xarhipeo, the name of a village in said state. Dating back to 16th century Mexico, Jaripeo was originally a form of bull fighting in which the rider rode the bull to death. The Jaripeo later evolved to be seen as a test of courage rather than to just simply ride the bull to death. The modern objective of this event is to attempt to ride the bull until it becomes tame and stops bucking. At the present time, most of the occasions these events are organized are during the fiestas patronales, festivities that celebrate the religious entity that represents the town. Those in charge of creating the jaripeos are usually the local government helped by with ranchers from the region.

Traditions

Prayer

At the start of a Jaripeo, oftentimes all of the participants and entertainers gather together while the announcer of the event recites a prayer called 'La Oracion del Jinete' which loosely translates to 'The Rider's Prayer'. This moment is the only time in which religion may be incorporated in the event and tends to be more common in Mexico than in the United States. This prayer is said to really clarify the line between life and death and serves as a reminder of how dangerous this event can be for the riders.

Las Reinas

'Las Reinas del Jaripeo' or 'The queens' are the feminine side of a Jaripeo event. Traditionally, las reinas were typically a group of three to four young ladies who recently turned 15 years old. Being a reina implicated social recognition and served as a way to present these young girls into society almost like how they do in a

Quinceañera A (also , , , and ) is a celebration of a girl's 15th birthday. It has pre-Columbian roots in Mexico (Aztecs) and is widely celebrated by girls throughout Latin America. The girl celebrating her 15th birthday is a (; feminine form of "15- ...

. Las Reinas enter on horseback wearing long, colorful, traditional Mexican dresses, greeting the public while followed by about a dozen men on horseback. They do a circle around the arena before ultimately coming to a stop at the center where the

Jinete ''Jinete'' () is Spanish for " horseman", especially in the context of light cavalry. Etymology The word Jinete (of Berber ''zenata'') designates, in Castilian and the Provençal dialect of Occitan language, those who show great skill and riding ...

s are then presented.

Jinetes

Jinetes are the main event at Jaripeos. They wear leather

Chaps Chaps ( or ) are sturdy coverings for the legs consisting of leggings and a belt. They are buckled on over trousers with the chaps' integrated belt, but unlike trousers, they have no seat (the term "assless chaps" is a tautology) and are not jo ...

and overall bright attire. Jinetes are people, usually men, who do bull or horseback riding. On some occasions the jinetes compete with each other. The format used to qualify each one and choose a winner consists of seeing how long the jinete lasts on top of the animal.

References

{{reflist Rodeo in Mexico Sport in Mexico Sports originating in Mexico