American’s Favorite Things That Aren’t Actually American
Claire Miles - January 5, 2019

Let’s take the most American thing we can think of: a cowboy. The first image that pops up in your head is definitely a man out in the wild west tipping his hat down with one hand and reaching for his holster with the other. But, did you know that the first cowboy appeared in Spain? Americans are proud of their country, but there are some things we assume to be Americans that are not. Here are some things that became part of American culture and where they really originated from.

Cowboys

Getty Images/NBCUniversal

“Home, home on the range where the deer and the antelope play.” We bet you anything that you sang that line in your head. The unofficial anthem of the wild wild west, “Home on the Range” is a classic western folk song that pretty much is as American as it gets. But apparently, cowobys are originalyl from Spain. The Spanish came to America in 1519 and brought the tradition with them. The cowboys in Mexico were known as Vequeros. In the early 1700s, Mexicans traveled to Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico and built ranches which made cowboys popular. 

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