References Wanted for Vaquero clothing and Trappings

[Four Eyed Jack]

Howdy all,
I am new to old west reenacting and have a basic outfit already. Part of my family is Mexican American and I wanted to put together an outfit representative of the Vaquero but I am having a problem finding reference material. I've found one or two resources of clothing which is usually just the jacket and pants but no references to anything else. If anyone can point me in the right direction, it will be much appreciated.

Four-Eyed Jack

[George D Rodriguez]

First off do you ride a horse as part of your personna? There are mainly 4 types of outfits you can portray.
1. The Peasent Sheepherder. He usually dresses in a white pull over shirt with buttons halfway down. A large sombrero made of straw. White pants with rope as a belt tied around the waist. Sandels instead of boots. For weapons an old flintlock rifle and a machete.
2. The Bandito. The same straw sombrero or one of felt whichever your choice but the more raggedy it looks the better. The pants can be more along the lines of western wear with suspenders. The boots are knee high with spurs. Pants can be tucked into the boots, or left out depending on the size of the boot. Weapons usually a sidearm with the holster over the belt riding high on the hip. A rifle of your choice. A bandaleer either single or double from the shoulder to the waist with dummy ammo.
3. The Vaquero/Charro. This outfit requires a jacket with vest and pants to match. The shirt is more sophisticated and usually has ruffles. I find that a tuxedo shirt suffices. The sombrero is of felt. The boots are knee high with the pants either tucked in or not. If you wear chapadores they are the mexican style. Spurs are of the large rowles as they usually ride everywhere and walk only when they have too. The weapon is a revolver carried high on the hip and rifle in the scabbard on the horse.
4. The Don. He is the elite spainard and usually wears either a waist coat or longer with pants to match. His shirt is the frilly kind with sleeves that show beyound the coat with a hankey tucked into it. Boots can be knee high or regular size with the pants on the outside of the boot. His hat if worn is that of a flat top with brim like the flaminco dancers wear without the dingleberrys. If he carries a sidearm it is usually in a fancy holster carried high on the hip.
I hope this helps you in outfitting youself in the style you want.

[Four Eyed Jack]

Thanks George, that is very helpful. I am just getting started in this and do not own a horse but eventually want to have my own. I haven't ridden in quite a few years but want to get back to it for this group I am forming in my area.

[Ed Gurecki]

Hi Jack, I,m trying to do the same. I,m trying to stay away from the typical hollywood stero-type. My referance books are a limited source. I,m hoping to have something for Old Bedford village in July. It,s 1880,s tombstone so you would think it would fit in, nobody did it the last two years. Well if you find any more info, I could use some help. Thanks Ed.

[Four Eyed Jack]

Ed,
On my own I am not having much luck finding information. I think I will ask my Mexican American family in San Antonio to see if they can find any resources for me.

[M.D."Doc"Ingalls]

Jack,

I hope I didn't just send you a half sentence, as I just hit the wrong key. So I'll try this again.
I have a small book put out by the state of California historical society that gives sketches of Mexicain outfits and text explaining each piece of gear and why it was used. The time frame is the 19th century. They have every profession from the mission indians to a patrone covered. Here's the kicker though, I have that book in Phoenix right now and for the life of me I can't remember the title. But I'll be heading that way in a week or so, so I'll send you the information on it. There was also a (and this may sound funny, but these line drawings were well done,) coloring book on Spanish/Mexican outfits. I use to sell them at Tombstone Old West Books.
You might also try "The Book of Buckskinning" which has some information on Mexicain Southwestern dress in it.
Here is what little I know about the dress of a Vaquero. Let's start with the breeches. Mexican Vaqueros wore Knee breeches that had three or four buttons at the knee up into the 1850's. They had a narrow fall front opening or side bouttons at the waist band for access into them. They were worn with Botas de Alas (spl?) or in english a Winged Boot. That is moccasins or a rawhide shoe with a knee length legging tied just below the knee. The legging had the wide bottom that looks almost like a bat wing chap. Embroidery in floral patterns was common on the light skins such as deer or elk. If the skin was a bit thicker such as calf they were incise carved with floral patterns. Some had geometric cutouts backed by contrasting wool or dyed leather.
Riding trousers, which is most likely what you are looking to wear, high waisted and had either the fall front, side buttons on the waist band or the common button fly as we know them today. They were form fitting and not loose. The bottoms of the legs flared slightly, and the outter seam of the leg could be left open from the bottom of the knee to the hem or from the waist band to the hem. They were cut so as to have a narrow flap with button holes running the length of the leg split. The split could be buttoned or unbuttoned according to weather or how much free leg movement was needed. The buttons on the legs were made from silver balls, brass or silver domed buttons or small silver coins. Rarely of common button material of the time such as hard rubber, mother of pearl, bone, horn or vegetable ivory. And try not to get caught up in the sliced antler tine buttons. I have yet to see or read about this being done even in the mountianman era. Yes I did it when I first Became involved because it looked "Ol' Tymey", but there isn't one referance to it being done! Pewter and lead melt at low tempeture and button moulds were pretty common. Also buttons were an early and common trade item.
Under the trousers were worn calzonas (under drawers) made of white linen or muslin. They had a draw string at the waist to keep them up. The bottom of the calzonas had rows of lace sewn around the bottom very much like womens pantaloons, and were a couple of inches longer then the trouser legs. The short boot, moccasins or shoe was worn with the legging tied up under the Calzonas. Please don't just slit the bottom of a pair of pants and sew in a contrasting piece of cloth to fake this look, because that's just what it looks like, "Fake". This style of trousers were popular into the early twentieth century.
The shirt was full cut and easy to move in. Of pull over design with or without collar. If collars were present they were small and usually had rounded points. They could tie at the throat or button down the front. lace on the cuffs was sometimes used. But not the heavy tux shirts with the heavy pleated frill that we see a lot of folks wear now, but tatted fine lace.
This was topped off with a short jacket that hit just at the waist line. Bottons of the same style as the pants were used at the cuffs even though they were not functional. Slightly larger buttons were used for the front of the jacket if only a few were used, or they may use eight to ten small buttons. These were often times embroidered with floral designs, Vines, leaves large and small four and five petaled flowers. A contrasting silk tape about a 1/4 to half inch wide was sometimes used to trim the edges. Galoons were sometimes sewn around the cuffs. The colors were varied. black, red, blue and brown seem to be popular but Im sure there were more. Collar could be anything from the wide shawl collar to narrow stand up collars.
A silk bandanna was tied in a sailors knot at the throat. Black was popular as was red an rarely hand stamped floral patterns. A sash was worn around the waist and could be any number of colors. Black, red, blue, gold or even multi colored. The fringe on the ends were hand tied and the sash was about a foot wide by 6 feet long, folded to about four inches wide and wrapped around the waist twice and tied just behind the left hip in most cases. The sash was sometimes secured with a belt of about an inch and a half or so wide. The fold of the sash was used as a pocket and a knife or dagger was in most case thrust in behind it at some spot comfortable to the wearer.
Hats were varied. They were made from vicuna fur, rabbit fur, nutria, beaver and wool, straw, palm leaf fiber, agave, yucca fiber, even tarred canvas, etc. The shape could run from the low flat brimmed pablano, to the conical sugar loaf form. The rather large sombrero style with the really huge brims seem to have come along later. In a lot of cases a bandanna was wore under the hat. Or even just the bandana. Wind strings, hat ties, stampeed strings, what ever you want to call them were common.
Add to your outfit a quirt of braided leather or rawhide o perhaps an antler tine and leather lash. Spurs were fancy or plain depending on the riders income and statis. Rowls could run from as large a six inches down to about two and a half inches in diameter. Straps could be plain or fancy wide or narrow embroidered with silk or dyed agave fiber. There were even some beaded ones.
Ponchos of tightly woven wool were used and kept behind the saddle as well as th ubiquitis serape. These were also used for bedding at times. Colors run a wide range. From plain to fancy.
Something few people are seen wearing now but was common in the brush country of the Southwest, is the riding leather riding coat. This was made from cowhide and went from the full length of the rider and almost touched the grund when he was standing. It was a rather boxy cut, tied at the throat and slit to the waist in back much like the later slickers. It was sometimes incised with geometic patterns and strips. And unlike most hide clothing which was SEWN with sinew or ctton or linen thread, this coat is laced together on over lapping seams.
Well Jack that's what little I know on the subject. I hope this helps, and I'll send you the name and author of the book I mentioned when I get to Phoenix. Enjoy

M.D."Doc"Ingalls

[Four Eyed Jack]

Thanks Doc, thats a lot of info to start with. By-the-way, what if we're talking about the after the Civil War period? I don't think Mexican American cowboys disappeared completely since many Mexican American families still had some land, so what did they wear in that period? Was it similar to any other cowboy of that period, or did they retain some traditional garb?

[Odessa Red]

Hi Jack...it sounds like there is alot of super information posted below!...I also have a contact person that could assist you with that information...his name is Lou Lopez and is the chairperson for the Old Fort MacArthur Days event specializing in Spanish/American war, vaqueros/Californios...I just spoke with him and he would be able to help you with the information you are seeking...check your private message and I will send you his cell phone number.

Cheers!
Rebecca

ACK!....your profile is set to private and can't send you a message...if you would like this information, feel free to add me as a friend so I can email it to you!

[Bat]

Here is a sketch that impressed me of a "The Vaquero"

Regards
Bat

[Bat]

This was impression of a "Texican"

Regards
Bat

[Four Eyed Jack]

Bat,
Thanks for the photo. That's a mighty fine looking outfit!