Draft:Juan Suárez de Peralta

Juan Suárez de Peralta (Mexico City-Tenochtitlan, New Spain, 1541-Madrid, 1613) was a Spanish-Mexican Criollo who distinguished himself for his writings on equestrian exercises and equine science, as well as life in New Spain in the 16th century. He is considered a historian for dealing with the subject of the Conquest, and one of the first scholars of albeytería, later known as veterinary medicine in the New World, for his extensive knowledge of horses.

Biography and Family

Juan Suárez de Peralta (“El Cronista” or The Chronicler), was born in Mexico City-Tenochtitlan (New Spain) in 1541. He was the son of Juan Suárez Marcayda (The Conqueror, also known as “El Viejo” or The Old Man) and Magdalena Esparza. He had two siblings: Luis (older) and Catalina (younger). His brother Luis inherited the Tamazulapa encomienda that had been granted to his father.

Relationship with Hernán Cortés:

Juan Suárez de Peralta’s father, Juan Suárez Marcayda “El Viejo”, was the son of Gonzalo Suárez and María Marcayda. He had two sisters: Leonor and Catalina. Juan Suárez "El Viejo" served under the orders of Hernán Cortés and was one of his trusted soldiers. His sister Catalina married Cortés in Cuba, and in this way the father of the chronicler became brother-in-law of Hernán Cortés, who became the political uncle of the chronicler.

The Suárez de Peraltas were owners of large plots of land in the indigenous neighborhood of Tacubaya, west of the city of Mexico-Tecnochtitlán. On his extensive estate he cultivated olive trees and wheat fields, and dedicated himself to breeding fine horses, learning the arts of equine medicine. The “Casa de la Bola de Tacubaya” or Ball House, was built on these lands, probably by his son Lorenzo, who incorporated the image of his father in the top of the main façade. The house is now a museum.

Relationship with the viceroys and the Marquisate of Valle

Suárez de Peralta always recognized the viceregal authority and was a loyal subject of the Spanish Crown at the same time that he was related to the Marquises of the Valley of Oaxaca through the marriage of his aunt Catalina to Hernán Cortés. Martín Cortés, son of Hernan Cortés and 2nd Marquess del Valle, was tried and beheaded, together with his followers, for conspiring to overthrow the Spanish Crown seeking greater autonomy for New Spain.

In the —Tratado del Descubrimiento de las Indias (Treaty of the Discovery of the Indies and their Conquest), one can infer the neutral position of Juan Suárez de Peralta between the viceregal authority and the Marquisate of the Valley. The author gives an account of the conquest and ends by focusing on daily life in New Spain. He devotes extensive pages to the dispute between Martín Cortés and the Royal Court, which he governed as regent after the death of Viceroy Luis de Velasco I.

The events of the decapitation of the followers of Martín Cortés are narrated in a dramatic tone and sorrow: “... I saw him on the aforementioned scaffold and then his head on the pillory, with a long nail driven through the crown of his head and driven through that precious helmet, piercing his brains and delicate flesh... I felt the need to stop my horse, passing through the square where the gallows were and where the heads of these gentlemen were, and I had to look at them with so many tears in my eyes that I don't know if I had ever cried so much in my life...” but never with opinions against the authority of the Spanish Crown and its representatives in the viceroyalty.

The reason he wrote the —Treatise on the Discovery of the Indies and its Conquest— was to justify himself as a spectator of the rebellion of Martín Cortés and its consequences. In it, his position as not involved and always faithful to the Crown is highlighted, although he is pained by the death of Martín Cortés' knights.

In his writings, one can perceive the chronicler's point of view on the Viceroys of New Spain that he knew. He spoke highly of the first viceroy Antonio de Mendoza, of whom he says that the population of New Spain came to see him as a father. He also dedicates several pages to the Viceroy Luis de Velasco praising his equestrian skills and his love of parties. Furthermore, the viceroy Gastón de Peralta, Marquis of Falces, is described as a viceroy who arrived in New Spain in the middle of a dispute between the Royal Court and the Marquisate of Valle. Gastón de Peralta made the mistake of befriending Martín Cortés, thus turning the judges of the Royal Court against him. In this way, they finally got the king to order his return to Spain to replace him with another viceroy.

Marriage and descendants

Juan Suárez de Peralta married (date unknown) Ana de Cervantes, although this union did not last long as in 1579 he travelled to Spain as a widower. According to the research of Covadonga Lamar Prieto, he remarried around 1600 to a lady of the Madrid aristocracy called Isabel Hurtado de Mendoza, who was related to the House of Infantado of Mendoza. In 1601 his son Lorenzo Suárez de Peralta was born. According to the research of Professor Miguel Ángel Márquez, it is shown that the chronicler died on January 8, 1613 at the age of 72. His burial took place in the Church of the Holy Spirit of the Minor Clerics in Madrid, according to the archives of the Parish of San Sebastián on Atocha Street, in Madrid. At the time of his death, his wife was 7 months pregnant. Furthermore, it is discovered that his son Lorenzo obtained permission from King Philip III to travel to the Indies on June 7, 1619 to claim the inheritance of his grandfather, uncle and father for the amount of 500 pesos. This information can be consulted in the General Archive of the Nation, Lecumberri, in Mexico City.

Works

Juan Suárez de Peralta, in addition to being a chronicler and historian, was an “hombre de á caballo”, an accomplished horseman and rider. He dedicated himself to breeding fine horses in Tacubaya (Mexico City), where he acquired practical knowledge of equine medicine and zootechnics. This made him the “Protoalbéitar of America”, that is, the first veterinarian born on the American Continent.

He wrote various works: In 1580, the Treatise on Cavalry of the Genet and the Brida was published in Seville, where he describes the most common forms of riding in Spain and New Spain. It was the first treatise published by a native of America on a secular subject. The Treatise on the Discovery of the Indies and Their Conquest (1589) was prepared during his stay at the court in Madrid, in which he reviews the history of the founding of New Spain and recounts events of daily life, the origin of the Indians until the arrival of the viceroy Don Antonio de Mendoza, in 1535. From the same year is The Conspiracy of Martín Cortés, which deals with what happened to Martín Cortés, II Marquis of the Valley, after the death of the viceroy Luis de Velasco y Ruiz de Alarcón, when he clashed with the Royal Court.

A third work entitled, is the Book of Albeyteria written in Mexico City, around 1575. Its manuscript No. MS 4255, is in the National Library of Spain. This work only saw the light of day until 1953, when it was published in Mexico City, on the occasion of the commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the former School of Veterinary Medicine of San Jacinto, Tacuba, Mexico City (1853) and the 400 years of the founding of the Royal and Pontifical University of Mexico (1553). The editors were the veterinarians Nicanor Almarza and Herranz, who carried out the paleographic work, with a prologue by Guillermo Quesada Bravo22​ (Editorial Albeitería. Mexico, 1953).

Vaquero

Latin: vaccārius French: vacher or bouvier Italian: vaccaro Romanian: văcar Dutch: koedrijver

Vaquero is the Spanish word for cowherd, cattle-herder, cow-keeper, cattle-driver, herdsman, or cowboy. It derives from vaca, meaning "cow", and the suffix -ero used in nouns to indicate a trade, job, occupation, profession or position.

which in turn comes from the Latin word vacca. In the Spanish speaking world it holds no special meaning other than cowherd or cattle-herder, nor is it defined as being a “horse-mounted” herdsman. It’s simply defined as the job of guarding and leading the herds of horned cattle, never specifying how the job is conducted.

In the United States, where the word has gained mythical status and it is highly romanticized among western and cowboy historians and enthusiasts, it is defined as a “highly skilled, horse-mounted livestock herder” of a tradition that supposedly has its roots in the Iberian Peninsula and extensively developed in Mexico from a methodology believed to have been brought to Latin America from Spain. It typically refers to the

Implying that it's a transplant

The most prominent livestock species in Spain was sheep, although cattle, pigs, and horses were also important.1 2 3 Andalusian livestock in the Middle Ages played a fundamental role in the total economy.2 While historians have emphasized sheep for their wool production, other livestock were also important.2 For example, oxen and cows were essential from the Carolingian period onward, not so much for meat production, but for their ability to work and haul.2 They were also used for milk production, cheesemaking, and as a source of savings.2 However, sheep were the most abundant and valued species.3 By the beginning of the 15th century, two major textile regions had emerged: the Northern Plateau, which used dark wool from local Churra sheep for mediocre quality products for domestic consumption; and the Southern Plateau, which mainly produced high-quality Merino wool for export.

The origins of the Charro date back to the 16th century with the introduction of cattle and horses to Mexico.

JOBS IN THE HACIENDA:

• VAQUERO - The job of Vaquero was the lowest, along with the Indian peasant farmer, in the hierarchy of the Hacienda. The job of Vaquero consisted of guarding, caring for and herding cattle, as well as taking care of the herd of horses. They were in charge of branding, curing and castrating the cattle, as well as grooming the horses, and milking the cows. They were also in charge of hunting animals, such as deer, and in order to protect the herds, they also hunted predatory animals such as wolves, coyotes, jaguars, pumas and bears, all done with the roping. The Vaqueros under the orders of the Caporal.
• CAPORAL - The Caporal was the captain or chieftain of the Vaqueros. The job of Caporal consisted of organizing and leading the rodeos, the branding of the herds, the hacienda festivities, as well as the animal hunts. The Caporal was originally a Vaquero until he was promoted to Caporal. Caporales, therefore, were more skilled ropers and horsemen. Each Caporal and Vaquero had his hatajo (group of horses) by color, with the caporales' horses being the most outstanding and vibrant. The Caporal was under the orders of the Mayordomo of the hacienda.
• CABALLERANGO - The knight was the caretaker of the horses, mainly those of the boss. His job was to care for, groom, and prepare the horses that were going to be used during the day. The caballerango responded to the orders of the caporal, or the boss.
• HORSE TAMERS and TRAINERS - Also known as Picadores, they were in charge of taming and leasing the horses. Depending on the region of the country, as well as the qualities of the trainer and landlord, the training was going to be different; from a quick taming through aggressive methods, as in northern Mexico, to more elaborate and non-violent training as in central Mexico. As Horses were very abundant in the wild in the 19th century, the only value they had was the type of training they received, therefore the better the training, the higher their price.
• MAJORDOMO-The Butler was in charge of all the workers of the hacienda, and was in charge of transmitting to them the orders of the Administrator (or Landowner) of the hacienda, whom he obeyed. The Administrator, for his part, administered the hacienda in the name of the Landowner, who usually did not live on the hacienda.

HORSEMANSHIP

A Ranchero is an independent son of the Mexican soil, generally a renter of lands, always owner of a horse, on which he may be said to live and have his being. Today a cattle-herder (Vaquero), tomorrow a soldier, this week a gambler, next week a robber — with all his sins, and they are as his hairs in number, he has one supreme excellence: you may not match him the world over as a rider, not though you set against him the most peerless of the turbaned knights of the jereed. Once it was my fortune to see a thousand Rancheros, in holiday garb and mounted, sweep down at a run to meet President Juarez, then en route to begin his final campaign against the hapless Hapsburger. They literally glistened with silver —silver on saddle and bridle, silver on jacket and trowsers, silver on hats, silver on heels; and, as with vivas long and shrilly intoned, and stabs of rowel merciless and maddening, they drove their mustangs —the choicest of the wild herds— headlong forward, the spectacle was stirring enough to have made the oldest hetman of the Cos­sacks young again.

Meanwhile, in the United States, the word has been redefined, and highly romanticized, to mean a specific type of herdsman, one that is mounted, with a specific set of skills and traditions,.

While it may be true that Americans might find goat meat “worthless” or “unpleasant”, this was not the case with the Spaniards or Conquistadors. On the contrary, goat meat, as well as mutton, have always been held in high regard by Mediterranean cultures, including Spain. The most consumed types of meat in Spain were mutton, lamb, kid (young goat) and goat. Since ancient times, the Spaniards have appreciated goat meat as a tastier, tender, leaner and highly nutritious meat. In fact, lamb, goat, and mutton were considered the choice meats of the Spanish elites and aristocracy, while beef was looked down upon. In the descriptions of the lavish banquets given by Andalusian nobles and townspeople in the 1474 chronicle of Don Miguel Lucas de Iranzo by the chronicler Pedro de Escavias, always mention lamb, mutton, kid and goat as the preferred meats; beef was what the commoners ate. In his epic novel —Don Quixote (1605)— Miguel de Cervantes alludes to this as he describes Don Quixote’s humble diet and lifestyle when he mentions that he eats stews with more beef than mutton, as beef was cheaper; Cervantes writes:

“A pot of something, of more beef than mutton, salpicón on most nights, eggs and abstinence on Saturdays, lentils on Fridays, and sometimes an extra squab on Sundays: they consumed three-fourths of his income.”