I am on the hunt for an almost extinct hat style: that would be the big-brimmed Mexican Sugarloaf. Check out this great image:
Mexican Rurales With Matching Sugarloafs
This is a wonderful photo of detrained Rurales lined up, and waiting for their horses. They are under the command of Carlos Rincon Gallardo, the duke of Regla, marquis of Guadalupe and an aristocratic charro. Gallardo rose to the rank of division general and is famous for his contributions to charreria, the Mexican national sport. The Rurales seen here, are sporting matching, high-pinched, sugarloaf headgear, and on the back of the photo it says they are on their way to Aguacalientes, on May 18, 1914.
Each hat appears to have the number 8 embroidered on the side of the crown (it may be a "B"). I'd love to see a photograph of all them mounted and coming down the lane. I have a hunch they would be intimidating.
Of course, this amazing hat style is all but gone and only a bastardized, low crown version remains (you see it on charros competing in charrerias).
Eventually, somebody is going to get hip to this headgear baddasserie and use it in a Western. Until that time, check this out:
Daily Whip Out: "Big Brimmed Vaquero"
Daily Whip Out:
"Another Red Dust Vaquero"
"Doroteo Arrango"
"It is useless to put all this into past tense: there are always other generals in Mexico. Everything is repeated there, even the blood sacrifices of the Aztecs; the age of Mexico falls on the spirit like a cloud."
— Graham Greene, "The Lawless Roads"
My great great grandfather had one of those hats!
ReplyDelete