A history of the cowboy in America from the time the Spanish brought cattle to the New World in the 1500s through the Civil War. A cute chihuahua named Chi Chi assists in presenting the tale of the South American cowboys, the vaqueros, in both Spanish and English. The vaqueros' history begins with the arrival of the explorers and their cattle in the 1500s. The explorers' cattle often strayed away and multiplied, which allowed the rich charros to claim them as their own. These charros hired vaqueros to drive their cattle from horseback, and the vaqueros soon became a highly skilled group with their own culture, techniques, and equipment Chapaderos and special roping techniques quickly became trademarks of the vaqueros. English and Spanish text, presented side by side, accompanies the colorful illustrations. Children will not only learn about history, but will also have fun improving their bilingual skills with this lively look at the vaqueros.