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A llanero (, 'plainsman') is a Venezuelan and Colombian herder. The name is taken from the Llanos grasslands occupying eastern Colombia and western-central Venezuela.
During the Spanish American wars of independence, llanero lancers and cavalry served in both armies and provided the bulk of the cavalry during the war. They were known for being skilled riders who were in charge of all the tasks related to livestock and other ranch-related activities. The historical figure emerged in the 17th century until its disappearance at the end of the 19th century, with the Andean hegemony and the birth of the Venezuelan oil industry.
Its ethnic origin dates back to the union of the , Andalusians, Canary Islanders and to a lesser extent the slaves brought by The Crown during the Spanish colonization of the Americas. The way of working and being comes from the current Apure and Barinas states of the Venezuelans who adapted and modified Andalusian customs, and then exported them to the New Kingdom of Granada. Thanks to their mannerisms, ethnic origin, dialect, culture, and role in the Spanish American Wars of Independence, Federal War and in Montoneras it has been romanticized and idealized and become the Venezuelan national hero and mythos.
By the middle of the 17th century, there were some 137,800 cattle in the most important Hacienda. The natives of the region, that is to say, the Achaguas, the Yaguales, the Arichunas and Caquetíos (Arawak family) were already almost destroyed by a war that lasted eighty years before the conquest, so that evangelization and its eventual miscegenation was given without much trouble. The indigenous component in the region was quite predominant, but today, it does not represent a third. For the 16th century Spanish Crown prohibited amerindians, blacks or creole whites from riding an equine since it was only a privilege for the peninsular, however, the economy expanded to such an extent that they had to promote legal reforms so that the excluded classes may have this privilege in the short term.
Between 1640 and 1790 the black maroons lived in cumbes, a society of maroons. These ended up mixing with the llaneros over the years.
In the 18th century, the Cabildo de Santiago de León de Caracas issued the first law regulating the abuse of large hatcheries on the plain. From this date, the cuatreros who stole the cattle of the plains emerged, characterized by being armed robberies.
At the end of the 18th century, the region exported 30,000 mules a year to the Antilles and sacrificed meat for the 1.5 million slaves there and in Cuba. There were 1.2 million head of cattle in the area before 1815. Between 1916 - 1917 Rafael Bolívar Coronado indicates that
The plains (as the Andes), due to its difficulty of transportation, were an abandoned area compared to the others in the Captaincy General of Venezuela, this caused its inhabitants to develop their own way of life apart from the rest of the population, with their own codes, but it was also a canton with many qualities that would be used by the different Caudillos on duty to raise montoneras.
The lion of the Llanos, José Tomás Boves, taking advantage of the precarious situation of the peons of the field of the plain, made a large part of the llaneros join the Royalist Army, under the idea of the exploitation of the Mantuanos towards the llaneros. The main causes of the union of the llaneros with Boves was the repression made by the republicans towards them, the capture of black maroons who had escaped in the skirmish of the First Republic, the recruited peons and slaves, among others. All this had as a reaction a complete rejection in this land towards the republic.
Boves, under a pirate flag as the main banner and a montonera made up mainly of lancers, started his participation in the dissolution of the Second Republic. Participating in different campaigns and battles such as the Campaign of the Valleys of Aragua and El Tuy, the Second Battle de la Puerta, the Siege of Valencia and the emigration to the East until achieving the dissolution of the Second Republic and commanding its own militia made up of thousands of llaneros.
The fall of the Second Republic brought with it several consequences for the population. Several of the promises made to the llaneros were not kept. Various charges were removed from different pardos and llaneros that were decorated by Boves and Monteverde. The prohibition of looting, and the fear of losing autonomy in their regions by the royalists led several troops to desert the Royalist Army. In some regions the war was constant for five, ten or even fifteen years and the only authority that could be used for protection during and after the conflict was the Caudillo whose dominion was thus legitimized; that is why after independence a stage of wars between rival chiefs was ready. As the Portuguese Joaquim Pedro de Oliveira Martins (1845-1894) said about the Iberian devotio
Neither Boves nor Morillo managed to achieve the dominance of the llaneros, they were men like General José Antonio Páez, Manuel Cedeño, José Gregorio Monagas, José Antonio Anzoátegui, Francisco de Paula Santander, Ramón Nonato Pérez, Juan Ángel Bravo, Juan Mellado, Manuel Camacaro, Juan Nepomuceno Moreno and the Liberator Simón Bolívar (the Llaneros called him culo de hierro – or "iron buttocks" – for his endurance on horseback). Those who in the end would get the llanero's sympathy for their cause.
Páez, el centauro de los Llanos, the clarified citizen or the Taita was a man of the people, of humble and Canary Islanders origin but above all llanero; Raised as one to become an excellent spearman, cabrestero, baquiano and leader, he made an image in the plain until he became caporal. The precarious situation of the plain and its inhabitants led to his companions persuading him to enter the Ejercito libertador. Due to his character and being someone for and for the people, it was not difficult for him to raise people in arms, reaching not only to command his own montonera, but to an entire country. Becoming not only the first Llanero president of Venezuela, but also one of the few cowboy presidents that history has seen. Contrary to Boves, Páez did not raise the llaneros based on their hatred, but based on their needs, first freeing them from Spanish rule and then the future Bogotá oligarchy. Bolívar Coronado points out that
The Braves of Apure or the Páez lancers, an army of llaneros made up of all classes, including the Negro Primero, a black maroon turned llanero of great caliber, were crucial in several battles, such as that of Las Queseras del Medio, in which 153 Paez llaneros lancers under the tactic "Vuelvan Caras" defeated with only 2 deaths 1,200 Spanish riders, giving a quantity of 400 casualties to the royalist side. The llaneros were also of vital importance in the campaigns of Urica, Swamp of Vargas, Boyacá, the batlle of Junín, the battle of Ayacucho and Carabobo, which were decisive for the republican side.
The large crossings between herds to transport livestock are extremely rigorous and demanding. These cabresteros and baquianos guide thousands or hundreds of cattle through the immense plains because the railroad had not yet been introduced in that region (they still do not have a railroad). Each beef being marked according to the membership herd. Thanks to Bolívar Coronado we have several brands of cattle belonging to various herds of the 18th century, such as those of Evangelina López and Pedro Fraile. The cattle were not in bars, so the only way to differentiate them was with the brand. To mark the ear, the llaneros used the so-called fork, with various shapes. One of them was to slit the ear of the cattle in several ways.
These caravans, which are very reminiscent of the eastern one, were commanded by the cabrestero, among them and of equal importance, was the cook, the doctor, a physicist, and obviously the different cowboys and baquianos. Unlike cattle in North America or Europe, that of the plains was not accustomed to human contact due to not being wired, which made the herding more complicated. If a large river blocks their way, they have to guide the herd and the cattle to pass this current; the bonguero, with his bongo -type of canoe- transported the merchandise and some llaneros. The cowboys and the cabrestero sank into the water and led the cattle and beasts through the stream. Always taking care of the deadly and that inhabit these waters, thanks to the stampedes, they usually did not approach these transfers, but from time to time an alligator was seen blocking the path, so the llaneros, armed with a knife and his falseta, had to sank underwater to catch the alligator and get it out of the way. If the piranhas reached these waters, the only option was to escape as quickly as possible, due to how fierce and dangerous they are. This river crossing took several hours. At the end of the day, after eating, they took out their hammocks and put them on the available palm trees or trees, where these cowboys could rest quietly. If there were no logs nearby, they used the blanket and hammock for a kind of makeshift bed. If they had the opportunity and the fortune to find a pulpería -kind of hotel and groceries store-, they rested in those facilities thanks to the kindness of their owners. The quality of the pulperías or Hacienda varied a lot, going from some quite gloomy or others quite adapted to the tasks of the field.
Each horse or padrote has a particular name that distinguishes it from the rest and shows the owner's affection towards it. Here are some: Lancero, Banderita, Guapetón, Corozo, Esmeralda, Cacique, Pluza de Garza, Bayoneta, Lucero, Torito, Bellaco, Caney, among others.
For the llanero, the horse is par excellence a beast. Other animals are not beasts for the llanero. Like cattle, it is only beef. Pigs are herds.
For their dressage, a team of llaneros armed with , they scurry and strongly immobilize the legs of the stallion with their lassos, another llanero arrives and rides on top of the beast, cuts off part of the mane to show that it has been tamed and grabs what remains, the ranger gives the Order and the others remove their lassos, the beast, being accustomed to the freedom of the plain, will try with all its might to take off the tamer, kicking and with several jumps, until in the end, the beast is defeated, and is tamed by the llanero.
The horse is the llanero's best friend, so much so that they even have poems like these
The Llaneros show their skills in coleo competitions, similar to rodeos, where they compete to drag cattle to the ground.
Llanero music is distinctive for its use of the harp, the and a small guitar called a cuatro. The joropo, a Llanero dance, has become the national dance of Venezuela, and of the Llanos of Colombia. While Llanero music is relatively unknown outside of Colombia and Venezuela, the musical groups
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Llanero cuisine is based on meat, fish, chicken, chiguire meat (also known as capybara), rice, , and other starches, although wheat is not used. Llanero Ken, a doll dressed in the distinctive Llanero costume liqui liqui, including a customary starched hat, has become a popular doll in Venezuela.
In Spanish language, The Lone Ranger is known as El Llanero Solitario.
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