vaquero
Americannoun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of vaquero
First recorded in 1790–1800; from Spanish, equivalent to vac(a) “cow” (from Latin vacca ) + -ero (from Latin -ārius ); see -ary
Explanation
In Mexico and the American Southwest, a cowboy is known as a vaquero. The vaquero tradition dates back to the sixteenth century, when Spain colonized Mexico. The earliest vaqueros were native Mexicans who learned to herd cattle that belonged to Spanish colonizers. Over the centuries, the tradition spread from Mexico south to Argentina and as far north as British Columbia. Vaqueros were the original cowboys, inspiring the iconic North American horseback rancher and herder. The word vaquero derives from the Spanish vaca, or "cow."
Vocabulary lists containing vaquero
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Samuel Brown Vazquez, a vaquero and community organizer attending the meeting, said he remembered when City Council members first discussed the rodeo ban in 2023.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 9, 2026
“The vaquero had to reinvent techniques and strategies in a completely new context,” said Héctor Medina Miranda, a Mexican anthropologist and author.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 23, 2026
Women arrive adorned with black lace hairpieces and painted tears a la Virgencita, as men blend dark accents with their Chicano workwear and vaquero boots.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2025
She’s a healer and he’s a vaquero, but both are still healing from a vampire attack when they were teenagers.
From New York Times ● Jun. 9, 2023
My father had been a vaquero all his life, a calling as ancient as the coming of the Spaniard to Nuevo Méjico.
From "Bless Me, Ultima" by Rudolfo Anaya
“The vaqueros didn’t cross the border,” said Medina Miranda.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 23, 2026
Traditional western dramas were more likely to depict vaqueros as bandits than hard-working ranch hands whose contributions were fundamental to the American West.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 23, 2026
The ranches, vaqueros and cowboys, the windbreaks and orchards may no longer exist.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2023
It includes horse trails for a local community of vaqueros as well as an ADA-compliant ramp that will lead to the top of Nike Hill, a popular viewpoint.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2023
These were the people of my father, the vaqueros of the llano.
From "Bless Me, Ultima" by Rudolfo Anaya
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
