Cibolero facts for kids
A Cibolero (say "see-boh-LEH-roh") was a special kind of buffalo hunter from New Mexico long ago. They were Spanish settlers and later Mexican people. The word cibolo is Spanish for buffalo in New Mexico. So, a Cibolero was a "buffalo hunter."
What Did Ciboleros Do?
Ciboleros hunted the amazing American bison, also known as buffalo. They hunted on the wide-open Great Plains. This area is now eastern New Mexico and Texas. They mostly hunted in places like the Llano Estacado and Comancheria. Sometimes, they even traveled as far north as Nebraska!
Ciboleros usually hunted buffalo in the late fall. This was after they had harvested their summer crops. Many Ciboleros lived near the Pecos River in New Mexico. Their villages included San José, San Miguel del Vado, and Tecolote. They also lived south towards La Cuesta, which is now Villanueva, New Mexico.
Ciboleros were mainly hunters. But there were also people called comancheros. Comancheros were mostly traders who traded with the Comanche and other Plains Indians. Sometimes, Ciboleros also traded, and Comancheros also hunted. Their activities often overlapped.
The Story of the Ciboleros
A famous traveler named Josiah Gregg once met a Cibolero. He described him like this:
As we were proceeding on our march, we observed a horseman approaching, who excited at first considerable curiosity. His picturesque costume, and peculiarity of deportment, however, soon showed him to be a Mexican Cibolero or buffalo-hunter.
Historian John Miller Morris explained how important Ciboleros were. He said that when Juan de Oñate's colonists came to New Mexico, they brought horses, cattle, and new crops. This changed how people got food and traveled. Native people on the plains quickly learned from the Hispanos about buffalo hunting.
This led to the rise of the Cibolero. They became a very important and exciting figure in the Southwest in the 1700s and 1800s. The Llano Estacado was a key place where ideas, words, and goods were exchanged. Ciboleros helped entire communities survive. They brought buffalo meat from the plains to the valleys. They also changed how trade happened, taking over from many native traders.
The Cibolero way of life ended around the late 1870s. This was because the American bison population was almost completely destroyed. Even today, Ciboleros are remembered in New Mexican folk songs, cultural events, and family stories.
Ciboleros in Stories
Ciboleros are often part of fictional stories about the Southwest and the American West. For example, the book José's Buffalo Hunt: A Story from History tells about a Cibolero buffalo hunt around 1866. The novel Cibolero is set when New Mexico was changing from Spanish to Mexican rule. It also describes buffalo hunts from the early 1800s.
