This outfit is famous worldwide and is a symbol of Mexican culture known to almost everybody. You can see it in Mexico fairly often – in the streets, at folk performances, festivals, on musicians playing in restaurants, etc. And by the way, this costume is typically recognized as Mexican men’s folk attire, but actually, there is a women’s charro outfit as well. So, what’s so special about a charro suit or traje de charro?
A charro suit, also called “traje de charro”, is a Mexican traditional apparel based on the clothing of a horseman, the charro. It occurs more often on men and became a trademark of Mexico worldwide. The outfit usually includes long tight trousers (or a long skirt for women), a dress shirt, a short jacket, a sombrero hat (optional), and cowboy boots. Other elements of clothes can be added if the person decides so.
Such other charro accessories might be a silk tie or neckerchief, a serape (large bright cloak), chaps (leather leg coverings used by cowboys), a pitea belt (decorative leather belt embellished with patterns), and so on.
This folklore attire is an obligatory item at any Mexican folk performance (folk dancing, singing, music playing), at folk festivals (for example, the Day of the Dead), at cowboy activities and performances (like charrería – a sport that evolved from livestock herding activities), and at various Mexican traditional celebrations. Mariachi music performers practically always dress in a charro suit.
The most popular are black charro suits, but they can be white, blue, red, brown, green, etc. Sometimes, they’re really colorful.
One of the most recognizable and noticeable features of a traje de charro is the lovely embroidery that covers the sides of the pantlegs and the bolero jacket / chaquetilla. There can be just a little of needlework on the collar and cuffs or a large part of the jacket can be adorned with embroidery (sleeves, front, and back).
Interesting fact! The skirt of a charro suit should be rather narrow but wide enough to allow the woman to ride sidesaddle. Because this folk attire is still connected to a cowboy lifestyle.
There is a whole variety of charro outfits – from the most casual to the most formal: the faena, media gala, gala, gran gala, and etiqueta. Depending on the style and purpose, you can see different amounts of embroidery and embellishments. The faena are very simple working clothes, the gala charro suits are used by mariachi, and the etiqueta outfits are formal opulent garments.
A little bit of history. The charro suit appeared in Mexico in the 16th century when Spanish conquistadors came to the continent and brought their fashion with them. Horse riding became forbidden for the locals without the landowner’s permission. And when they were allowed to ride, the indigenous people had to wear a certain outfit that later became a famous Mexican charro suit. Its design was perfect for the local conditions and lifestyle – a short jacket allowed the wearer to draw a weapon fast, narrow pants prevented him from getting caught by branches during horse riding, a wide-brimmed sombrero protected from the hot sun and even head injuries.
This cute outfit came a long way from being a symbol of servitude to being a proud symbol of Mexican heritage and traditional culture. And today, the popularity of a charro suit is no less than 100-200 years ago.
