Charro outfit

. A basic charro outfit worn by men consists of long, tight pants covered with decoration on the sides. The coat worn by both men and women is short and embroidered. Embroidery often depicts plant life, Aztec motifs or other themes. Other aspects of the outfit may include a dress shirt, chaps, serape and pitea belt. The outfits are often colorful. The footwear is either a high-heeled boot, or a leather shoe. Different versions of the charro outfit are ranked based on a 1960 decision of the National Charro Federation. The least formal is known as the faena or work outfit. The faena outfit is unadorned and typical of working charros. The charro outfit is seen as a representative symbol of Mexican culture. The outfit and other charro imagery is often incorporated in tourist advertisements and has become one of the "most universally recognized emblem of Mexican identity around the world." The charro suit can be worn to express pride for Mexican heritage. == History ==

Although its precise history is uncertain, it’s popularly believed that the charro outfit’s origin may be traced back to the Spanish province of Salamanca of the 16th century, Because of this, people assumed that the Mexican charros must’ve originated in that province because they share the same name. It is therefore believed that Spanish conquistadors brought this type of clothing with them to Mexico, although there is no evidence of this and there is no evidence that show how vaqueros and horsemen dressed prior to the 18th century. Evidence does show that charro outfits were distinctly different and have been evolving since the 18th century. When Spain colonized Mexico, the government initially made it illegal for indigenous Mexicans to ride horses without Spanish landowner permission. The pants were worn tight to prevent snagging on brush, or chaparral and the coat worn short to provide better access to weaponry. For decades it was believed that General Porfirio Díaz, the "presidential dictator" of Mexico for thirty-five years (1876-1911) created the Rurales until the truth about Juárez's role was discovered in the national archives. Therefore, one can argue that the charro uniform was important in Mexican culture prior to the Mexican Revolution (1911-1920). The Rurales were disbanded in 1914 by President Venustiano Carranza, during the Mexican Revolution. After the Mexican Revolution, the imagery of the charro became important to Mexican culture. Mexican president, Porfirio Díaz, influenced mariachi performers to adopt the charro costume in the early 1900s. Mariachi musicians would accompany ranchera singers starting in the 1930s and in the 1940s ranchera musicians adopted the charro suit. Festivities include parades and shows of horsemanship, with riders in the iconic traditional costume. The outfit was further popularized by actors who wore the charro suit in movies made during the Golden Age of Mexican Cinema. The officers were meant to both "entertain and protect the tourists that flood the Central Alameda area." During the 2011 Pan American Games Parade of Nations, charro outfits were the uniform for the Games' Mexican home team. Theirs had white bolero jackets, green, white, and red striped ties, white sombreros, brown belts, and black pants (men) or skirts (women). == In popular culture ==

Charro outfits were worn in the Golden Age of Mexican Cinema by actors such as Jorge Negrete, Pedro Infante, Emilio Fernández, Pedro Armendáriz and Luis Aguilar. The children's story, La Fiesta y el Mariachi by Marta Arroyo, describes traditional Mexican clothing, including the charro outfit. An annual celebration known as Charro Days in Brownsville, Texas incorporates the charro outfit among many participants and attendees. == See also ==