By Juan Montoya
When Charro Days started 75 years ago, its founders probably didn’t realize that their brainchild – an international celebration by two sister cities – would outlast economic booms and busts, wars, and entire generations.
What started out as an economic gimmick to prime the economic pump by commerce promoters way back when has flowered into an international celebration that reaches out to our southern neighbor and – at least for a too-brief week – celebrate the ties that have bound us ever since the two nations were formed on either side of the Rio Grande.When Charro Days started 75 years ago, its founders probably didn’t realize that their brainchild – an international celebration by two sister cities – would outlast economic booms and busts, wars, and entire generations.
In a place where two cultures until recently mingled freely in a semi-tropical setting, residents and winter visitors bask in the warm southeastern trade winds from the Gulf of Mexico with a cool front thrown in for good measure every once in a while.
The Brownsville area and its sister city Matamoros predate the signing of the signing of the U.S. Declaration of
Independence by nearly a decade.
And although Brownsville did not come into being formally until 1853, it was the village commons for Matamoros, which was established in 1765 as San Juan de los Esteros. It wasn’t until the Mexican-American War in 1848 that the U.S. sovereignty extended to the banks of the Rio Grande, and the relationship has flourished since.
Graced by an architecture which mirrors the French touch of New Orleans, Brownsville and Matamoros have forged cultural and economic bonds, which have benefited both peoples. The result has been a unique milieu of culture and commerce framed within a context of tolerance and coexistence. The recent troubles across the border have resulted in an influx of Mexican citizens into our town, just as the Mexican revolution and other upheavals did in the past.
Less than a half hour by car, warm waters lap on the sands of pristine beaches on the Gulf of Mexico. Its location rivals Miami Beach for its weather, and is much less expensive than the Sun Mecca of Florida.
Add one of the longest rivers of the United States and a diverse plant and animal life – some of it exclusive to this area – and you’ll know why Brownsville is a favored destination for visitors far and wide from both sides of the border.
Charro Days is itself named for the proud precursor of the Mexican cowboy– himself a forerunner of the American cowboy. It is at heart a homegrown celebration born of the simple desire to show the world what this city and its neighbors have known all along – that they live in a beautiful place with much to offer.
Charro Days Inc. is an all-volunteer effort by local residents. Only its executive director and office personnel are paid for their services to maintain the organization’s administrative operations. It does not receive funds from the city, county, or state. Fundraisers and sponsorships pay all of its projects, parades, dances and other activities.
It is appropriate because the holiday belongs to the people. Everywhere one turns, the work and effort that local residents put into making this fiesta a success are apparent. The hand-made costumes the children sport while participating in the children’s parade and the construction of the elaborate floats testify to the citywide effort that makes Charro Days the huge success it has become.
The Brownsville area and its sister city Matamoros predate the signing of the signing of the U.S. Declaration of
Independence by nearly a decade.And although Brownsville did not come into being formally until 1853, it was the village commons for Matamoros, which was established in 1765 as San Juan de los Esteros. It wasn’t until the Mexican-American War in 1848 that the U.S. sovereignty extended to the banks of the Rio Grande, and the relationship has flourished since.
Graced by an architecture which mirrors the French touch of New Orleans, Brownsville and Matamoros have forged cultural and economic bonds, which have benefited both peoples. The result has been a unique milieu of culture and commerce framed within a context of tolerance and coexistence. The recent troubles across the border have resulted in an influx of Mexican citizens into our town, just as the Mexican revolution and other upheavals did in the past.
Less than a half hour by car, warm waters lap on the sands of pristine beaches on the Gulf of Mexico. Its location rivals Miami Beach for its weather, and is much less expensive than the Sun Mecca of Florida.
Add one of the longest rivers of the United States and a diverse plant and animal life – some of it exclusive to this area – and you’ll know why Brownsville is a favored destination for visitors far and wide from both sides of the border.
Charro Days is itself named for the proud precursor of the Mexican cowboy– himself a forerunner of the American cowboy. It is at heart a homegrown celebration born of the simple desire to show the world what this city and its neighbors have known all along – that they live in a beautiful place with much to offer.
Charro Days Inc. is an all-volunteer effort by local residents. Only its executive director and office personnel are paid for their services to maintain the organization’s administrative operations. It does not receive funds from the city, county, or state. Fundraisers and sponsorships pay all of its projects, parades, dances and other activities.
It is appropriate because the holiday belongs to the people. Everywhere one turns, the work and effort that local residents put into making this fiesta a success are apparent. The hand-made costumes the children sport while participating in the children’s parade and the construction of the elaborate floats testify to the citywide effort that makes Charro Days the huge success it has become.
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