Mexican Horseback Ride

CUMPAS, Sonora - Far from the beaches of western Sonora along the Gulf of California, where familiar names like Rocky Point, Kino Bay and San Carlos catch the attention of American tourists, there is another Sonora. It is a rural landscape speckled with organ pipe cactus, copper-rich rock and large cottonwoods that follow its rivers.
Ramon Figueroa of Tucson has returned to this area and his hometown of Moctezuma for the cabalgata, a huge horseback ride that celebrates the ranching and farming traditions of the region of northeastern Sonora.
As he walks past riders already saddling their horses in the pre-dawn glow, he clanks and jingles, carrying his saddle over one shoulder, holding his lasso and spurs in his opposite hand. He drops his load with a thud, keeping his rope, and heads to the pasture where his horse awaits along with a few dozen others. He'll have to catch it himself, which he says can be quite a task when it's a horse that doesn't want to be caught.
The 32-kilometer ride starts at Cumpas, a town about 160 miles southeast of Tucson as the bird flies that is famous for its horses, and ends in Moctezuma. Although it's home to only a few thousand residents, Moctezuma serves as a social and economic hub for the rural areas. The route will follow along the Moctezuma River and pass through a few small communities along the way.
This area of eastern Sonora is rooted in traditions of horsemanship, ranching and agriculture, much like the American Southwest. The real cowboys who still roam here celebrate those traditions through this huge horseback ride that numbers thousands of participants.
The focus of a cabalgata is more about participation than public pageantry. While locals flood the streets of towns the massive rides tromp though, its success is judged more on the experience of the ride.
Across the highway, stretched across several acres of open land owned by a local company, thousands of horses and riders prepare for the ride as well.
At about 7:45 a.m., the dusty mass of riders sets out for a trek that will take 5 1/2 to 7 hours, cross through towns and rivers and even pass over small mountains. The mood is lively, the snorts of the horses complemented by the yelps and shouts of the riders.
The growl of one of the two helicopters grows intense, then deafening as it zooms low overhead, filled with TV cameras and photographers who will broadcast the event all over the state. The helicopters also act as emergency ambulances and lookouts. Security becomes an issue with large numbers of high-ranking officials riding out in the open.
The name of this particular cabalgata in Spanish means "A Family Ride Along the Moctezuma River." It is the ninth one, done biannually for the past 4 1/2 years.
"It is about regaining some of that which has been lost," Figueroa says in Spanish. "It is about remembering the agricultural traditions of the Sonoran highlands."
The cabalgata is also a time for politics. Sonoran Gov. Eduardo Bours has been instrumental in establishing the custom that started in Sonora after he entered office in September 2003. He recently announced that there will be one final cabalgata before his term ends in 2009. It is tentatively planned for sometime in October.
Bours is well-known for mixing with the public and his fondness for horses. The cabalgata is a chance for people to have access to him and other officials in a setting that is more accessible than their offices in Hermosillo, kind of like a cowboy equivalent to a business golf game.
"It's really important for us as mayors of the towns," says René Durazo, municipal president of Granados, a small community about an hour away. "I was able to have access to a lot of government officials, and I brought proposals to them. It's not the same to try to go to their offices in Hermosillo than to ride up next to them on a horse and say, 'Hey, help me out with this.' We get a lot done."
Once the riders pass through town, huge trees provide welcome shade along the river, where some riders pull their feet out of the stirrups to avoid getting wet as their mounts wade through the water. All along the route, volunteers keep the riders hydrated, tossing bottles of water to waiting hands passing on horseback.
This is not a race. The pace is leisurely.
Conversations start as riders keep pace alongside each other, linger for a few moments, chat, then move along.
One man carries a large stereo on the back of his horse, with a speaker draped over each side of its rump, like acoustic saddle bags. Another totes a cooler full of beer.
The sloshes of hoofs in water are replaced by the click-clacks of horseshoes on cobblestone as the group enters the town of Jécori, about halfway along. Spectators of all ages line the street to see the passing riders, and music plays as a local resident booms his voice over a loudspeaker: "Bienvenidos a Jécori!" - Welcome to Jécori.
A large bend in the river lends itself to a pause in the ride. Some men show off by making their horses prance in circles in a high step, a sort of equine dance show. Others have reached their own endpoint and join in the masses of spectators who have gathered along the open sand of the riverbed. People wave, smile and take pictures. Taco stands feed the hungry.
The rest of the way to Moctezuma will be along a dusty canyon before the countryside reverts back to lush green trees and agricultural fields. The final leg is a steep climb up a bone-dry rocky mountain that hides Moctezuma on the other side.
By 3 p.m., almost all of the riders have completed their journey. Even the water stations are closing, their supplies completely drained. Arriving in town, loved ones look anxiously for riders coming down the hill. A journey that was for hours an open trail across the land becomes a labyrinth of cars, horses, trailers and pedestrians.
In the plaza at the town's center, the festivities are in full swing. Live music blares from a huge stage, television stations are doing live game-show contests, and food and vendors abound. Well into the night, riders and non- riders alike dance away the last remaining hours of the cabalgata, which is much more than a horseback ride. Just as the Fourth of July is about more than the fireworks, folks here can enjoy all of the social joys of the event even if they weren't on the ride it self.
Sisters and Salpointe Catholic High School students Jocelyn and Michelle Gonzvar, 17 and 16 respectively, along with Pima Community College student Maricela Arvisu, 19, came to see relatives and enjoy the festivities and food. They are disappointed that the food stand is all out of churros. They say the food is one of the things they love about being in Sonora, as well as the dancing, and just the overall environment. There is one other thing, Michelle Gonzvar remembers: "Los muchachos!" she says. "The boys!"
Throughout the afternoon and evening, horse trailers filter out of town, returning home. At the local branch of the cattle growers association, loads of hay are delivered to recharge the horses after a day's work. A group of men sit together in the back of a pickup truck, sharing stories about the day over a cold Tecate or two.
As this cabalgata draws to a close, the conversation turns to the next one. It promises to be bigger, better, ending this time in capital of Hermosillo. Of course, they are going, they say. How could they miss it?