Maria Eugenia Ruiz Loredo - Founding Member of the Escaramuza

This photo was taken in October of 1953 at the Rancho del Charro, today's National Charro Association, in Mexico City.

Maria Eugenia Ruiz Loredo is one of the first "amazonas" to ever ride in an escaramuza team. Alongside her sister Graciela and brother Arturo, she learned basic horse riding skills in a class with three other kids from the Camacho Elorriaga family at the Rancho del Charro in Mexico City.

 

The kids' parents decided to show off their choreographed exercises during a break at a "charreada," or Mexican rodeo. That was in 1953. The crowd loved it and the escaramuza was born. Today escaramuza teams are made up of exclusively female riders, who earned their place as athletes within the tradition of charreria in 1991 when their sport was declared an official charreria sport by Mexico's Charro Federation.

Maria Eugenia Ruiz Loredo rides on the first escaramuza team in 1953 at the Rancho Charro in 1953.

Below is a video of historic photographs of the first escaramuzas, with an 

interview by one of the other girls on the team, Guadalupe "Coco" Camacho.

Antonio Camacho - Founding Member of the Escaramuza

Antonio Camacho in 2009

Not unlike most charros, Antonio Camacho Elorriaga was born into a charro family, but unlike others, destiny put him on the first escaramuza that ever was. That was back in 1953 in Mexico City's Rancho Charro.

Antonio rode alongside his sister Guadalupe, better known as "Coco," and his brother Jose. The three other kids were from the Ruiz Loredo family: Graciela, Maria Eugenia and Arturo.

The Rancho del Charro changed its name to the Nacional Association of  Charros, and is one of hundreds of charro associations, or private rodeo clubs, across Mexico. But this association has the historic privilege of being the birth site of today's female charro sport: the escaramuza.

Antonio continues to be an active member of his life-long rodeo club of charreria, Mexico's national sport.

Historical Photographs of the First Escaramuza

Historic 1953 photograph at left: Three girls and three boys ride in the first escaramuza at the Rancho del Charro (today the National Association of Charros) in Mexico City in March 1953.

Below, is a video-gallery of  still images taken in the 1950's of performances by the first escaramuza teams.

You will hear the voices of the six founding members: Guadalupe "Coco" Camacho," her brother Antonio, and Arturo Ruiz Loredo, sharing what it was like back then (with English subtitles).