Ever wonder what it’s like behind the scenes of a Mexican rodeo, where the bulls come from, and how they’re raised and trained? Bulls are sold off to people in order to prepare them in all the different rodeos that happen year-round in the State of Oaxaca.
The bulls are tested for their temperament in the ring and they learn how to “play” on the go as they move from jaripeo (rodeo or bull ring) to jaripeo.
A bull performs well in the jaripeo if it goes out from the cage and straight into the middle of the ring
to jump there [and] to try to get the rider [off] his back. When a bull is frightened, it will just try to run around in circles trying to find a way to escape the ring.
Jaripeo is a form of bull riding practiced mainly in Central and Southern Mexico that developed in the 1
6th century. Originally, it was a form of bullfighting where the rider rode the bull to death but evolved into a form where the rider simply tries to ride the animal until it stops bucking.
Traditionally, the jaripeo is part of a village festival in honor of a saint or virgin. The organizing committee would ask villagers to participate as madrinas—single beautiful wom
en that hand out prizes to the jinetes, the riders.
The jaripeo is constantly evolving and is influenced by the many variations of jaripeo from the very north to the very south of Mexico (including parts of Mexico that are now part of the US).
It is said that the word jaripeo derives from the indigenous language of the Purépecha people of Michoacán: [the original word was] xarhipiti, a sour or rotten place.
The style of jaripeo from this region has become the most popular form and now it is widely practiced across Mexico. These days, there is a professional form of jaripeo carried out in tournaments with teams of bull riders facing off against bulls from famous ganaderías (cattle ranches).
Big cash prizes of up to $80,000 pesos ($4,300 USD) or even brand new pick-up trucks are offered in these tournaments and villages take a lot of pride in hosting these big events.
Jaripeos are like a local sport—just like some people gather to play football on th
e weekends, there are people that go from village to village every weekend to watch jaripeos. And just like football, there are local riders that become idols and [are] famous for their feats.
In this sport, the rider falls in a way that makes the spurs get stuck in the bull’s skin, which could hurt both the rider and the bull. Ganaderos make sure that a standard size of spur is used. They know big spurs will hurt their animals and cause them to underperform.
Mexican riders must hold onto the bull until it stops bucking to show they have taken control of the animal. To achieve this type of bull riding, the rider uses both hands and wears a spur that hooks into the bull’s skin.
Mexicans use this sport to unwind and
help them reconnect to their roots. It is believed that through the sport, they tend to forget their family problems and have fun.
