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Gr 4-8 Freedman explores the often-overlooked role of the Central American cowherders who preceded by centuries the cowboys of popular lore and legend. With clear and engaging prose, he describes how the 1494 arrival of cattle and horses in Hispaniola led to a need for skilled and rugged horsemen able to control the eventually vast herds. While tracing the geographic spread of the vaqueros' work over time and the tasks and tools involved in the trade, he also weaves in some thought-provoking social histor...Log In or Sign Up to Read More

"In the eyes of their Spanish masters, they were nothing more than poor Indian laborers on horseback. But they were the first of their kind, and they invented the cowboy trade as we know it today." Russell Freedman's handsome introduction to the history and work of the vaqueros pays long-overdue tribute to the skillfulness and ingenuity of these early Native-American cowmen. Set in seven chapters with well-chosen paintings and black-and-white drawings, the book carefully emphasizes throughout the lasting herita...Log In or Sign Up to Read More