Chaps - Wikipedia

 

 

 

 

The precise history of Chaparreras is uncertain. They appeared on the scene in Mexico between the late 1830s and early 1840s. The first mention of them that historians have been able to find is from 1843. Before this, no evidence of their existence has been found, as they were absent from writings and paintings from that time. Before the appearance of Chaparreras, the Mexican horsemen used a set of leather flaps called Armas or Armas de Agua that hung from the pommel of their saddles. These armas or “shields” were used to protect the riders pants and boots from the rain, hence their name “Armas de Agua” or “water shields”. Armas also have a recent history as no evidence of their existence prior to the 19th century has been found, neither in writings nor in paintings.

The first documented evidence of Chaparreras is in an 1843 article titled “Cartas Sobre México: Alameda y Bucareli” in the magazine “El Museo Mexicano” about life in the Mexico City promenade Alameda Central, although the writer doesn’t go into detail about them.[20] It would be the following year 1844 in the article “Costumbres y Trajes Nacionales: Los Rancheros” about the life and customs of Mexican Rancheros, that readers would get a description. The writer, Don Domingo Revilla, states that Chaparreras are “in vogue everywhere” in Mexico implying that they were something recent and new. Revilla describes Chaparreras as “trousers with buttons on the sides and no seat” and goes on to say that they are “widely used in El Jaral and in Tierra-Adentro” referring to the great hacienda “El Jaral de Berrio” in Guanajuato and “Tierra-Adentro” or hinterland.[21] One popular song from that time tells that people go to “El Jaral” to buy chaparrreras.[22] El Jaral de Berrio, known for their fine leather production, might be a possible place of origin of Chaparreras.

The first Chaparreras were actually pants made out of leather with no seat and with buttons on the sides, as Revilla described, that was worn over the riders’ cloth or suede pants to protect them from the rain and mud. Don Carlos Rincón Gallardo states that those early Chaparreras were distinct from the most recent ones (20th century) in that they were never unbuttoned, so that, to put them on, the rider had to remove his shoes and place one leg into each pant-leg one at a time like any other pants. These first Chaparreras were in disuse in Mexico by the early 20th century being replaced by a new model that remains the standard today, two separate leather pant-legs that are united at the top by a strap or clasp that serves as a belt, with buttons or laces on the side that could be undone making it possible to wear them without having to take your boots off[23]

One common assumption today is that chaparreras derived from Spanish zahones, a leather apron used by shepherds, hunters, workers and others, to protect the front of pants from tears, but no evidence has been found to support this. The hypothesis holds that chaparreras are zahones that had been highly modified to better suit the needs of Mexico’s horsemen; for example, they were made longer to cover the whole leg.[24] But for Chaparreras to have been descended from zahones or be modified versions of them, zahones would have to have existed prior, but in Mexico, no mention of anything resembling zahones has been found in any text, document or painting, either from the 19th century or earlier, so their connection to chaparreras is unlikely.[25]

And in all descriptions of chaparreras made by foreigners they never compared or linked them to zahones. In the accounts of Spanish travelers who described chaparreras, they never mentioned any similarity with zahones or inferred that they were derived from them and never indicated that it was a known garment in Spain; on the contrary, they always implied that chaparreras were something unknown or “exotic” to them. The Spanish writer and poet Juan Martínez Villergas who visited Mexico in the 1850s, found Chaparreras to be interesting or amusing, suggesting they were unknown to him as a Spaniard, and criticized the opulence, stating:

“After the hat, what interested me the most about the persevering Mexicans, are the Chaparreras, a name given to a pair of pants that are open at the sides, from the bottom to the waistband, but although they are always closed, they have one, two, three and up to four rows of buttons just for conspicuous reasons. The more buttons it has, the more it means that the wearer has money to spend, so that there are men who have more buttons on the sides of their chaparreras than hairs on their heads, without being bald, and surely, more than one are ruined by wanting to show off so many buttons.[26]

Likewise, the Spanish journalist and historian Niceto de Zamacois never mentioned Chaparreras as being derived from Spanish zahones nor did he claim they were similar to them when he described them to Spanish readers, implying that they were unknown in Spain, stating:

“In Mexico, “chaparreras" is the name given to a type of wide, leather pants that are worn over the ones they wear when they go horseback riding and it's raining; they reach up to the waist on the front, but only to the end of the thigh on the back, exposing the inner pants around the seat: these chaparreras, which are extremely useful, are attached to the waist by a leather belt with a buckle at the back, which makes them very easy to put on or take off when necessary.”[27]

In addition to this, zahones are not and have never been trousers like chaparreras but rather aprons, known in Spanish as delantal or delantera, two pieces of leather or cloth that only protect the front of the thighs (femur) of each leg and are tied around the waist.[28][29] Prior to the 20th century, zahones were shorter only covering the front of the thigh down to the knees. In all 19th century Spanish dictionaries, zahones are defined as either leather or cloth aprons or short opened breeches that are tied around the waist and behind each thigh covering the front down to the knees or never going beyond the calves.[30][31][32] Zahones, of Arabic origin, are also older than chaparreras dating back to at least the 16th century and were originally gregüescos (zaragüelles), very distinct from the styles of the 19th and 20th centuries.[33] Chaparreras, on the contrary, are not aprons but trousers that cover the entire leg, front and back, and were originally intended to protect the rider's pants from the rain and, unlike zahones, were introduced in the 19th century and have no known connection to gregüescos.

 

 

One possible origin of Chaparreras might be the pre-Hispanic “calzas” or leggings used by the indigenous people of Mexico. Leather leggings, called calzas by the Spanish, made out of deerskin or wild dog, were part of the traditional outfit of the Chichimecas of Central Mexico.[34] Botas Huastecas, wide leather leggings or pants that were attached around the waist and were used by the herdsmen of Veracruz might also be a possible origin, as they were similar to and predated chaparreras. The name “Huastecas”, referring to the Huastec people and the peculiar way of manufacture by tanning deerskins with rotten brains and smoking them with burnt corncobs to generate a pungent smell to repel bugs and other critters, indicates an indigenous origin. “Mitazas”, a set of leggings similar to chaparreras but that were not attached at the waist, only reaching up and attaching to each thigh, are also credited to indigenous leggings.

There is also evidence in the United States that certain design features may derive from the mountain men, who copied them from the leggings worn by Native Americans.[35][36][37] According to David Hackett Fischer (1989), the leather bottoms worn among frontiersmen had Scotch-Irish and Northern English predecessors, giving 18th century records of sheepskin leggings in Westmorland and gaiters known as "leather stockings" in Carlisle as evidence.[38] Different styles developed to fit local climate, terrain and hazards.[39] Designs were also modified for purely stylistic and decorative purposes. The time of actual appearance of the garment on American cowboys is uncertain. By the late 1870s, however, most Texas cowboys wore them as the cattle industry moved north.[40]

The first chaparreras were made out of cowhide and goatskin tanned with the hair on, the latter being the most sought after because the hair repels water better. These chaparreras made of goatskins are called chivarras, a portmanteau of chivo (goat) and chaparreras. The more expensive ones were made out of jaguar skin, bear and otter fur. Many were embossed with intricate designs and patterns and richly decorated with gold and silver buttons, brooches and buckles.

Armas

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The Armas de Agua (Water Shields), Armas de Pelo (Hairy Shields), or simply Armas (Shields), are two large leather flaps, commonly goat, deer or calf skin, sometimes embossed, that are attached to and hung from the pommel, on both sides, of the Mexican saddles to cover and protect, from the rain, the Calzoneras (trousers), legs and feet of the Charro.[41][42] When they are being used, they each are pulled over the legs and feet, and are tied behind the waist. When they are not, they remain hanging on each side of the saddle, just in front of the rider’s legs. When the Charro camped outside, they could be removed from the saddle and be used as a sleeping mat and blanket.[43] Some of the more expensive kind were richly decorated, made of “tiger” (jaguar), puma, bear or otter fur.[44] Armas, like most of the equipment of the Charro, arose in Central Mexico and later, through migration and necessity, they passed on to the rest of the country, to north and south.

The history of armas, like that of chaparreras, is also uncertain as they are also absent from texts and paintings from before the 19th century. In an 1805 classified ad in the —Diario de Mexico— newspaper, a vaquero saddle described as “última moda” meaning “latest fashion” or “state-of-the art” is being sold. The ad mentions it’s made with a silver lined saddle-tree, embroidered silk and states that it comes “equipped with everything, even with its armas de agua ”.[45] The “última moda” or “state-of-the-art” and the emphasis that it comes with armas, would indicate that it was something new, recent and expensive in the Mexican saddlery and equestrian world.

Some people, mostly Americans,[46][47] have also argued and assumed that armas originated in Spain and were brought to Mexico by the Spaniards. But, just like chaparreras, no evidence of their existence has been found in Spain, and those Spaniards that described armas to a Spanish audience found them strange and, in some cases, described them as simple “trifles”, indicating they were unknown in their country. Spanish lawyer and monarchist, Luis Manuel del Rivero, not only derided the Mexican vaquero saddle and armas as “grotesque” but also never mentioned chaparreras as part of the Ranchero attire, which would show that they were either not common or didn't exist yet around the time he visited Mexico (1842):

“The Ranchero is a man of higher thoughts, very strong, great horseman, […] His attire, boots made of leather with which the leg is wrapped several times; spurs, as I have said, colossal; wide leather or cloth pants over cloth underwear; cotton shirt; a sash with which the waist is secured; a cotona, that is, a short leather jacket that is worn over the head, and a very large and heavy chambergo or Jarano hat. For overdress, a Manga or Serape. His horse's trappings are no less grotesque, since the Vaquero saddle with its large stirrups and flaps, especially if it is complemented by an anquera, Armas de Agua, and other trifles, is a world in the midst of which the Ranchero finds himself in his world, and he believes himself superior to all the powerful men of the earth, executing extremely difficult spins and movements.”[48]

Armas began to be replaced by chaparreras around the 1840s, although they didn't provide all the services and protection that the Armas did, since they cannot be used as a sleeping mat nor protect the foot.[49][50] Today Armas continue to exist and are still used in certain regions of the country both for work, as in Baja California Sur, and for ceremonial or ornamental purposes in Central and Southern Mexico.

Mitazas

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Mitazas are separate, long leather leggings that only reached up to the thighs and are not fastened at the waist. The first ones were fastened at each of the thighs but later ones were fastened at the sides with small buckles. These Mitazas that reached up to the thigh are no longer in use. Today, what people refer to as “mitazas” are more like half-chaps, only covering the calves.

According to Mexican writer and journalist Manuel Payno, mitazas were more common in the northern areas of Mexico:

On a clear and calm day at the end of September 184... […] a large cavalry party entered through the only road that connects the port of Tampico with the interior. At the head of them was a young man wearing a Turkish blue cloth jacket with a red collar and cuffs; […] he was followed at a distance by a lancer, with a stern, tanned face and a large black mustache; […] Behind them were two other young men dressed in the Tamaulipas style, that is, with wide breeches or Mitazas, as they call them in the country, made of yellow suede, a Cotona jacket made of the same material with laces and small silver eagles on the back and buttons, and a large flat Jarano hat.[51]

Botas Huastecas

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In the lowlands of Veracruz, the country horsemen that worked in the haciendas of the state were called Jarochos, specifically those dedicated to the job of vaquero (cowherd) and everything related to cattle ranching.[52][53][54] Their customs, traditions and costume were very distinct from the herdsmen of the highlands, the Rancheros. They didn't wear any type of footwear, riding their horses barefooted. When they were herding cattle out in the woods and mountains, their only protection on their legs was a pair of leggings called “Botas Huastecas” (Huastec Boots), a kind of wide leggings or breeches that were fastened at the waist, similar to chaparreras, made of deer-skin tanned with putrefied brains and smoked with corn cobs, to protect them from thorns and snakes, and repel chiggers, ticks and other bugs with the putrid smell.[55]

The manufacturing process for making "Botas Huastecas" consisted, according to an article published in 1869, in:[56][57]

“The boots, which are not boots but leggings, since they don’t have soles, nor are they worn on the feet, are made of the skins of two deer, which are arranged so that the respective neck of each one serves to cover the calves and part of the thighs, and they are tied to the waist with cords of the same skin. The way to prepare the skin is as follows: the animal's brains are saved until they enter a state of putrefaction; the skins are then greased with this ointment, after being previously dried in the sun on the hairy side, and is then rubbed with a deer rib and becomes soft under this operation. When it is soft enough, it is colored with the smoke of burnt corn husks. The purpose of this is to impregnate the skin with a strong and pungent odor, which prevents ticks from adhering to them. The boots must be very wide and form many folds and wrinkles, both to avoid thorns from penetrating them, and to escape from the bite of snakes when having to cross bushy places.”

Botas Huastecas no longer exist since at least the late 19th century.

Cuadrilera or Rozadera

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Cuadrilera also known as Rozadera, is a piece of leather in the form of an apron, that only covers part of the hip and thigh, and has four straps, two that attach to the waist and the other two are fasten around the thigh. It is made of cowhide or suede, and were used for roping, prior to the existence of Chaparreras, and used today when chaparreras are not worn, to protect the pants and legs from the chafing of the rope. It goes on the right leg for roping on horseback, and on the left when roping on foot. Cuadrileras can be used together with Chaparreras by wearing it underneath to provide extra protection when doing more heavy roping. Most Chaparreras today come with built in rozaderas.

 

The Cuadrilera also functions as a cover to protect the saddle seat from wear and tear and to prevent it from getting hot by attaching it on the front of the saddle; if there is a need to dismount, leaving the saddled horse in the sun, the charro can lift the cuadrilera like a lid over the saddle horn and when he remounts he can put it back in its place. The cuadrilera is the most traditional and Charro way to protect the saddle seat.