The Longhorn has long been an iconic symbol of Texas: It’s the official large mammal of the state and the mascot of the University of Texas at Austin.
But the history of cattle and the Longhorn in the United States can be traced back to colonial-era Spain. Columbus brought cattle, pigs, and other livestock to the New World on his second voyage.
Texas Monthly’s December cover story, “The Longhorn’s Long Journey to Becoming a Texas Icon,” details the search for the origins of the animal.
Photojournalist Joel Salcido photographed and chronicled the Longhorn’s lineage during his decades-long travels in Spain, Mexico, and Texas.
Salcido said his fascination with Longhorns was spurred following encounters with the bulls of Spain.
“When you're close to the animal, you realize the energy, the power, and the fear behind it,” he said. “I started to wonder about the Longhorn … there has to be some remnant of what we know as the Longhorn in Spain.”
Salcido discovered South Texas ranchers helped keep the breed alive, including the Guerras on the San Vicente Ranch and the Davis family at DWD Longhorns
John Phillip Santos, a professor of Borderlands Humanities at the University of Texas at San Antonio, authored the essay that accompanies the article.
He said the story of the Longhorn reflects the common story of immigration present all across the U.S.
“This story … became a way to evoke this underlying mythic tale about the relationship between man and beast in the land we've come to know as Texas today, but wasn't always Texas, and wasn't always Mexico before that, or colonial New Spain or the tierras indigenas.” he said. “It's this deep time story of how over these eons, we migrate, we evolve, we become something new.”
