The Cowboy

I always think of New Mexico as heavily Hispanic, but it also is a western state with a strong cowboy tradition. I took the above photograph during the Santa Fe fiesta parade. I think (but always can be wrong, of course) that the northern part of New Mexico is heavily Hispanic, while the south is mainly cattle ranches - hence the cowboy influence.  The Spanish, by the way, were the ones who first brought cattle to the Americas, just as they did with the horse.  And a final word on New Mexico - it is not named after the country of Mexico, but named by Spanish settlers after the Aztec Valley of Mexico, a full 250 years before the naming of the present day country of Mexico.  Who says this blog isn't educational?