Spur
Spur
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- Description
- This spur, worn over a riding boot, was made in Mexico in the mid-1800s. Rubbed against the animal's side, spurs are one of the instruments that riders use to direct horses. The spikes on this spur are set on a small wheel called a rowel, making this a rowel spur. Horses and good riding equipment, such as spurs, saddles, stirrups, and leather coverings, played a fundamental role in the European conquest, exploration, and settlement of wide areas of North America. Much of the technique and craftsmanship of riding culture that was found in the American West among both Native Americans and later U.S. settlers was introduced by the Spanish in Mexico within the first century of colonization (1500s). During this period, huge herds of cattle and sheep (both newly introduced species, like horses) flooded the dry grasslands of northern Mexico and were tended by men who would later be called vaqueros—cowboys. The ranching culture that they developed, as well as the ecological destruction that grazing produced, stretched from Texas to California. This economy of raising livestock on the open range was embraced by settlers coming overland from the American East along routes like the Santa Fe, Old Spanish, and Gila trails. To this day, ranching remains a vital economic and cultural force in both the American West and northern Mexico.
- Description (Spanish)
- Esta espuela, que se llevaba en la parte trasera de las botas de montar, fue fabricada en México a mediados del siglo XIX. Los jinetes dirigían al caballo rozando las espuelas contra el costado del animal. Las espigas de esta espuela sobresalen de una pequeña rueda llamada rodaja, la cual le da al nombre de espuela de rodaja. Los caballos y el buen equipo de montar, como las espuelas, la montura, los estribos y los revestimientos de cuero, desempeñaron un papel fundamental dentro de la conquista, exploración y asentamiento europeo en vastas extensiones de Norteamérica. Muchas de las técnicas y destrezas artesanales relacionadas con la cultura ecuestre que se observan en el oeste americano, tanto entre los americanos nativos como más tarde entre los colonos de Estados Unidos, fueron introducidas por los españoles a México durante el primer siglo de la colonización (S. XVI). A lo largo de este período, erraban por las pasturas secas del norte de México vastas manadas de vacunos y ovinos (especies recientemente introducidas, al igual que el caballo), al cuidado de hombres que luego se denominarían vaqueros. La cultura de hacienda que éstos desarrollaron, paralelamente a la destrucción ecológica que produjo el pastoreo, se extendió desde Texas hasta California. Esta economía sustentada en la ganadería a campo abierto fue adoptada por los colonizadores que llegaban por tierra desde el este por el Camino de Santa Fe, el Camino Español de Los Ángeles y el Camino del Diablo. Hasta el día de hoy, la ganadería continúa siendo de vital importancia económica y cultural tanto en el oeste americano como en norte de México.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Object Name
- spur
- Date made
- 1840 - 1860
- place made
- Mexico
- Physical Description
- iron (spur material)
- leather (part material)
- Measurements
- overall: 9 in x 4 3/4 in x 4 15/16 in; 22.86 cm x 12.065 cm x 12.5001 cm
- ID Number
- CL.004841
- catalog number
- 4841
- accession number
- 2007.0144
- Credit Line
- Gift of J. G. Develing
- subject
- Horseback Riding
- Western Wear
- Horses
- Latino
- See more items in
- Home and Community Life: Ethnic
- Clothing & Accessories
- Cultures & Communities
- Mexican America
- Agriculture
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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