Mesteñeros

Mesteñeros, or mustang runners, were people in Mexico, and later on in the United States, in the 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th and early 20th century, usually vaqueros or cowboys, that caught, broke and drove wild horses, called mesteños or mustangs, to market in what is now Central and Northern Mexico, Texas, New Mexico and California. These Mesteñeros operated originally in the 16th century in what is now Central Mexico, then, by the 18th century primarily in Northern Mexico, the Great Plains from Texas and New Mexico, and in California, primarily in the San Joaquin Valley during the 19th century and in the Great Basin during the 20th century.