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The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE), the Ministry of Culture, the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH), and the community of charro associations are pleased to jointly report the achievement of the inscription of the nomination "La Charrería, equestrian tradition in Mexico" in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

The Ministry of Culture, through the National Institute of Anthropology and History, and members of the National Association of Charros began negotiations in March 2011.

The appointment consolidates a broad and inclusive Plan for the safeguarding, preservation, dissemination and development of the cultural heritage linked to Charrería.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE), the Ministry of Culture, the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH), and the community of charro associations are pleased to jointly report the achievement of the inscription of the nomination "La Charrería, equestrian tradition in Mexico" in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

After a five-year process of elaboration and evaluation, and thanks to the efforts made by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Culture of the Government of Mexico, through INAH, as well as the community, "Charrería, Equestrian Tradition in Mexico" was declared Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, which makes it the eighth living cultural manifestation of Mexico to receive this distinction.

The inscription was approved during the 11th Session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, currently being held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on the basis of the solid dossier prepared jointly by INAH and the National Association of Charros, which was unanimously accepted by the members of the Committee, currently made up of: Afghanistan, Algeria, Armenia, Austria, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Colombia, Côte d'Ivoire, Cuba, Ethiopia, Philippines, Guatemala, Hungary, India, Lebanon, Mauritius, Mongolia, Palestine, Republic of Korea, Republic of Congo, Saint Lucia, Senegal, Turkey and Zambia.

The file, the result of extensive documentary and field research, describes the Charrería as a clear example of the diversity of cultural expressions that arise from the meeting of cultures that give rise to Mexico, and whose birth dates back to the sixteenth century when, as a result of the establishment and rise of cattle ranches in central and northern Mexico, the need arose for coexistence between the cowboys of the different farms to meet to inventory and mark cattle on each property, The need for coexistence among the cowboys of the different farms arose when they met to inventory and mark the cattle of each property, turning the field work into a reason for coexistence and social articulation, being the origin of a Mexican equestrian school that allowed the handling of cattle while riding on horseback and that was distinguished, among other things, by the use of the saddle and the reata, essential utensil for roping the cattle.

One of the most important documents that make up the official file submitted to UNESCO is the Safeguarding Plan, prepared by the carrier community, in this case represented by members of the National Association of Charros, the Association of Charros de Jalisco, the Association of Charros de Huichapan, the Association of Charros de Polotitlán, the Asociación de Charros de la Cuenca del Papaloapan, the Asociación de Charros Regionales de San Juan del Río, the Asociación de Charros de Morelia and the Asociación de Charros de la Tuna Alta, together with representatives of the artisan community and the support of the governments of Jalisco, the State of Mexico and Mexico City. The Safeguarding Plan includes measures such as the creation of a Charrería Conservatory, made up of various governmental, academic and civil society bodies, such as the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Public Education, the Institutes of Historical Research, the Institute of Aesthetic Research and the Institute of Aesthetic Research, de Investigaciones Estéticas and de Investigaciones Sociales of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, the Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia, the Federación Mexicana de Charrería, the Instituto Nacional de las Bellas Artes, the Instituto Mexicano de la Juventud and the Instituto Mexicano para la Mujer, as well as members of the Mexican community.

Currently, Charreria is practiced in Mexico through almost 2,000 annual events in which around 1,000 existing charro associations participate. It is no less important to note that its practice has spread in the United States of America, where there are 184 charro communities distributed in 13 states, namely Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas and Washington.