''Criollo'' (or Creole) is a group of cattle breeds descended from

Iberian Iberian refers to Iberia. Most commonly Iberian refers to: *Someone or something originating in the Iberian Peninsula, namely from Spain, Portugal, Gibraltar and Andorra. The term ''Iberian'' is also used to refer to anything pertaining to the fo ...

stock imported to the Americas. The cattle were imported through the

Columbian Exchange The Columbian exchange, also known as the Columbian interchange, was the widespread transfer of plants, animals, and diseases between the New World (the Americas) in the Western Hemisphere, and the Old World (Afro-Eurasia) in the Eastern Hemis ...

during his second visit to the Caribbean. Criollo cattle thrive in

semi-arid A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a aridity, dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below Evapotranspiration#Potential evapotranspiration, potential evapotranspiration, but not as l ...

and

arid Aridity is the condition of geographical regions which make up approximately 43% of total global available land area, characterized by low annual precipitation, increased temperatures, and limited water availability.Perez-Aguilar, L. Y., Plata ...

climates, allowing them to dominate both

North North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating Direction (geometry), direction or geography. Etymology T ...

and

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...

. Additionally, the cattle need wide ranges to roam and forage for food. Thus, areas such as the

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

and the Argentine Plains ( Las Pampas) are preferred lands for cattle ranching. The hardiness of the Criollo and versatility of habitable environments allowed the cattle to become prominent in the North and South American beef industry.

History

Colonial Era

The Criollo breeds are a direct result of Spanish breeding Iberian cattle with

African cattle Sanga cattle is the collective name for indigenous cattle of some regions in Africa. They are sometimes identified as a subspecies with the scientific name ''Bos taurus africanus''. Their history of domestication and their origins in relation to ...

. The combination of these genetics allowed for the cattle to thrive in various environments. Additionally, the Iberian grasslands, particularly in the

Andalusia Andalusia ( , ; , ) is the southernmost autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Peninsular Spain, located in the south of the Iberian Peninsula, in southwestern Europe. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomou ...

region, provided a similar environment to other cattle grazing areas where they would be imported. These early breeds were tested on the

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; ) or Canaries are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean and the southernmost Autonomous communities of Spain, Autonomous Community of Spain. They are located in the northwest of Africa, with the closest point to the cont ...

along with other colonial prototypes. In 1493,

Columbus Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to: * Christopher Columbus (1451–1506), the Italian explorer * Columbus, Ohio, the capital city of the U.S. state of Ohio * Columbus, Georgia, a city i ...

took the first Criollo cattle across the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...

. The cattle entered the Latin American mainland following Hernándo Cortés' conquest of the

Mexica The Mexica (Nahuatl: ; singular ) are a Nahuatl-speaking people of the Valley of Mexico who were the rulers of the Triple Alliance, more commonly referred to as the Aztec Empire. The Mexica established Tenochtitlan, a settlement on an island ...

in 1521. The sudden influx of foraging lands for the cattle allowed for them to expand across

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

. The conquest of the Americas also furthered the spread of early criollo cattle, allowing for them to spread across North and South America. By the end of the colonial period, cattle had spread to the

American South The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, Dixieland, or simply the South) is census regions United States Census Bureau. It is between the Atlantic Ocean and the ...

, onto the

Pacific coast of Mexico The Pacific Coast of Mexico or West Coast of Mexico stretches along the coasts of western Mexico at the Pacific Ocean and its Gulf of California, Gulf of California (Sea of Cortez). Geography Baja California peninsula On the western Baja Califor ...

and

Central America Central America is a subregion of North America. Its political boundaries are defined as bordering Mexico to the north, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. Central America is usually ...

, into the northern sections of South America, and into

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

and

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

Post-Colonial Era

The fall of the Spanish colonial regime in Latin America created a marketing boom in the region, allowing the newly formed republics to engage in

free trade Free trade is a trade policy that does not restrict imports or exports. In government, free trade is predominantly advocated by political parties that hold Economic liberalism, economically liberal positions, while economic nationalist politica ...

. The cattle industry experienced a rapid development following

independence Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state, in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the status of ...

. Argentina, which gained its independence in 1816, was extremely effective in establishing this new trade. The Conquest of the Desert further enforced the importance of cattle ranching
The Conquest
gave Argentine ranchers, also known as

gauchos A gaucho () or gaúcho () is a skilled horseman, reputed to be brave and unruly. The figure of the gaucho is a folk symbol of Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil, the southern part of Bolivia, and the south of Chilean Patag ...

, valuable grasslands for their cattle herds. Following the Conquest, the criollo cattle became less prevalent in Argentina due to mass the fencing of the Pampas. Open areas, such as Chihuahua, Mexico, have continued to raise mass amounts of Criollo. The

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

saw much of the

Great Plains The Great Plains is a broad expanse of plain, flatland in North America. The region stretches east of the Rocky Mountains, much of it covered in prairie, steppe, and grassland. They are the western part of the Interior Plains, which include th ...

utilized for criollo cattle ranching, too. Although these areas were eventually fenced during the

Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution, sometimes divided into the First Industrial Revolution and Second Industrial Revolution, was a transitional period of the global economy toward more widespread, efficient and stable manufacturing processes, succee ...

, the criollo continued to play a major role in the beef industry. For example, the

Texas Longhorn The Texas Longhorn is an American breed of beef cattle, characterized by its long horns, which can span more than from tip to tip. It derives from cattle brought from the Iberian Peninsula to the Americas by Spanish conquistadors from the ti ...

and the

Corriente The Corriente is an American breed of small cattle, used principally for rodeo events. It derives from Criollo Mexicano stock, which in turn descends from Iberian cattle brought to the Americas by the Conquistadors, and introduced in the sixtee ...

were prevalent in Mexican and Texan meat markets. The addition of national railroads and faster oceanic transportation caused the cattle industry to grow, too. By the early 1900s, Argentina constructed a several rail lines that traveled into the heart of the Pampas. The United States experienced a similar phenomenon with rail lines, connecting

cattle towns ''Cattle Town'' is a 1952 American Western film directed by Noel M. Smith and written by Thomas W. Blackburn. The film stars Dennis Morgan, Philip Carey, Amanda Blake, Rita Moreno, Paul Picerni and Ray Teal. The film was released by Warner Br ...

to city meat markets. The establishment of these rail lines allowed

cowboys A cowboy is a professional pastoralist or mounted livestock herder, usually from the Americas or Australia. Cowboy(s) or The Cowboy(s) may also refer to: Film and television * ''Cowboy'' (1958 film), starring Glenn Ford * ''Cowboy'' (1966 film), ...

to sell their herds more efficiently. Additionally, faster oceanic travel and refrigerated containers allowed for criollo meat to be exported on a global scale. Argentina, which used both of these methods to mass produce beef, was the largest international exporter of beef until the beginning of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. In 2023,

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

, Argentina, and the United States were within the top ten highest beef exporting countries. Criollo beef continues to be one of the top types of internationally exported beef.

List of breeds

The list below is a collection of criollo cattle from various academic sources. * In the Caribbean: ** Cuban Criollo ** Puerto Rican Criollo * In South America: ** Argentine Criollo ** Bolivian Criollo ** Chinampo ** Colombian Criollo ** Crioulo (''Chimarrão'') types:Mason, Ian Lauder: ''A world dictionary of livestock breeds, types and varieties.'' 4th edition. CAD International, Wallingford 1996, , p. 32 *** Brazilian Polled *** Caracu *** Curraleio *** Crioulo Lageano (''Crioulo de Santa Catarina''; ''Franqueiro'') *** Pantaneiro *** Polled Crioulo Pereira Camargo ** Ecuador Criollo **

Romosinuano The Romosinuano is a breed of cattle native to Colombia. Its name derives from the fact that the breed is polled (''romo'') and that it originated from the Sinú River valley (''sinuano''). Romosinunao are a criollo type, developed from the horn ...

Uruguayan Criollo Uruguayans () are people identified with the country of Uruguay, through citizenship or descent. Uruguay is home to people of different ethnic origins. As a result, many Uruguayans do not equate their nationality with ethnicity, but with citizen ...

** Venezuelan Criollo * In Central America: ** Barroso ** Tropical Dairy Criollo (''Criollo lechero tropical'') * In North America: **

a.k.a. Chinampo **

Florida Cracker Florida crackers are the descendants of colonial-era British American pioneer settlers in what is now the U.S. state of Florida, and a subculture of White Southerners. The first crackers arrived in 1763 after Spain traded Florida to Great Britai ...

** Frijolillo ** Pineywoods ** Raramuri CriolloAnderson, Dean M., Rick E. Estell, Alfredo L. Gonzalez, Andres F. Cibils, and L A. Torell
"Criollo cattle: Heritage Genetics for Arid Landscapes."
''Rangelands'' 37.2 (2015): 62-67. Print. **

External Links

Expedición en los Desiertos del Sud
An artistic depiction of the Conquest of Las Pampas.
Map of the Argentine Railways:
A map of the National Argentina Railway and its several rail lines.
Walter Prescott Webb's the Great Plains - Chapter 7
Addresses the development of the cattle trade in the United States.
Works of Prilidiano Pueyrredón
Depiction of Latin American culture and life on Las Pampas after the Conquest of the Desert.

References

Cattle breeds Cattle breeds originating in Spain {{cattle-stub