Los Mesteños: Spanish Ranching in Texas, 1721-1821

by Jack Jackson

Overview

Until Los Mesteños was published in 1986, the history of cattle ranching in Texas focused almost exclusively on the nineteenth-century era of the great cattle drives. But even before the birth of George III or George Washington, the king's men--subjects of the Spanish crown--had established a vast cattle kingdom in Texas.

Jack Jackson chronicles in rich detail the hundred years of Spanish ranching, beginning a century before Mexico, and subsequently Texas, gained independence. From the introduction of livestock into the province by various early entradas (expeditions), to the first big roundup in 1787, and beyond, he traces the development of the range and of cattle working. He shows the feral increase of the early herds, the conflicts over ownership of the wild animals (mesteños), the emergence of Spanish dynasties, and the attempts of colonial governments to regulate the industry.

Although some scholars have attributed western ranching practices largely to the influence of Anglo settlers, Jackson meticulously traces both stock and stock raising techniques to their origins in Spanish Texas. Describing the founding of the first Anglo ranches in Texas, he carefully shows their adaptation of Hispanic cattle culture in the brands used, the market exploited, and the emerging life-style.

In his review for the Western Historical Quarterly, Félix D. Almaráz, Jr., said that with the publication of Los Mesteños, Jackson has earned distinction as a rigorous scholar and writer, adding that the book had made a solid addition to borderlands literature.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781585445585
Publisher:	Texas A&M University Press
Publication date:	08/03/2006
Series:	Centennial Series of the Association of Former Students, Texas A&M University , #18
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	728
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.60(d)

About the Author

JACK JACKSON, a free-lance writer and illustrator in Austin, grew up on one of the historic South Texas ranches. His books include Mapping Texas and the Gulf Coast (co-authored), Imaginary Kingdom, and Comanche Moon.

Editorial Reviews

Any student of eighteenth-century Texas cannot overlook this book, given its wealth of material.

Journal of Southern History

[Jackson] paints the Spanish era in broader detail. A picture emerges of a land with its own importance, of a people with fierce and enduring energy and courage, of vaqueros and rancheros, priests, soldiers, Indians, and settlers who gave Texas its rich cultural and romantic heritage. . . . very impressive history.

True West