Criollo cattle

Criollo (or Creole) is a group of cattle breeds descended from Iberian stock imported to the Americas. The cattle were imported through the Columbian Exchange during his second visit to the Caribbean. Criollo cattle thrive in semi-arid and arid climates, allowing them to dominate both North and South America. Additionally, the cattle need wide ranges to roam and forage for food. Thus, areas such as the Texas and the Argentine Plains (Las Pampas) are preferred lands for cattle ranching. The hardiness of the Criollo and versatility of habitable environments allowed the cattle to become prominent in the North and South American beef industry.
The Criollo breeds are a direct result of Spanish breeding Iberian cattle with African cattle. The combination of these genetics allowed for the cattle to thrive in various environments. Additionally, the Iberian grasslands, particularly in the Andalusia region, provided a similar environment to other cattle grazing areas where they would be imported. These early breeds were tested on the Canary Islands along with other colonial prototypes. In 1493, Columbus took the first Criollo cattle across the Atlantic Ocean. The cattle entered the Latin American mainland following Hernándo Cortés' conquest of the Mexica in 1521. The sudden influx of foraging lands for the cattle allowed for them to expand across Mexico. The conquest of the Americas also furthered the spread of early criollo cattle, allowing for them to spread across North and South America. By the end of the colonial period, cattle had spread to the American South, onto the Pacific coast of Mexico and Central America, into the northern sections of South America, and into Argentina and Chile.
The fall of the Spanish colonial regime in Latin America created a marketing boom in the region, allowing the newly formed republics to engage in free trade. The cattle industry experienced a rapid development following independence. Argentina, which gained its independence in 1816, was extremely effective in establishing this new trade. The Conquest of the Desert further enforced the importance of cattle ranching. The Conquest gave Argentine ranchers, also known as gauchos, valuable grasslands for their cattle herds. Following the Conquest, the criollo cattle became less prevalent in Argentina due to mass the fencing of the Pampas. Open areas, such as Chihuahua, Mexico, have continued to raise mass amounts of Criollo. The United States saw much of the Great Plains utilized for criollo cattle ranching, too. Although these areas were eventually fenced during the Industrial Revolution, the criollo continued to play a major role in the beef industry. For example, the Texas Longhorn and the Corriente were prevalent in Mexican and Texan meat markets.
The addition of national railroads and faster oceanic transportation caused the cattle industry to grow, too. By the early 1900s, Argentina constructed a several rail lines that traveled into the heart of the Pampas. The United States experienced a similar phenomenon with rail lines, connecting cattle towns to city meat markets. The establishment of these rail lines allowed cowboys to sell their herds more efficiently. Additionally, faster oceanic travel and refrigerated containers allowed for criollo meat to be exported on a global scale. Argentina, which used both of these methods to mass produce beef, was the largest international exporter of beef until the beginning of World War I. In 2023, Brazil, Argentina, and the United States were within the top ten highest beef exporting countries. Criollo beef continues to be one of the top types of internationally exported beef.
The list below is a collection of criollo cattle from various academic sources.
Expedición en los Desiertos del Sud: An artistic depiction of the Conquest of Las Pampas.
Map of the Argentine Railways: A map of the National Argentina Railway and its several rail lines.
Walter Prescott Webb's the Great Plains - Chapter 7: Addresses the development of the cattle trade in the United States.
Works of Prilidiano Pueyrredón: Depiction of Latin American culture and life on Las Pampas after the Conquest of the Desert.