Shearing Sheep and Angora Goats the Texas Way Volume 20

Just as the time of the vaquero is near to running its course, the days of the full-time sheep and goat shearers—tasinques—are coming to a close. So asserts author Robert Aguero, son and grandson of tasinques and recipient of the proud tradition of those who labored with their hands in the dusty corrals of the Nueces River Valley and the Edwards Plateau, harvesting the wool and mohair that fueled the industry known by the shearers and their families as la trasquila.

Aguero, himself a veteran of the shearing sheds, offers stories and perspectives gleaned both from personal experience and interviews with dozens of individuals intimately connected with the Central Texas wool and mohair industry. From the docienteros—virtuosos able to shear 200 animals or more per day—to the rancheros—the owners of the ranches who hired the shearing crews, year after year—Aguero has captured the essence of a way of life that is rapidly passing into history.

The work opens with a foreword by esteemed historian Arnoldo De LeÓn. A host of photographs accompanies the narrative, capturing visually the dust, sweat, and noise of the atajo—the shearing pen—along with the pride in accomplishment that characterizes the tasinque tradition. Robert Aguero’s Shearing Sheep and Angora Goats the Texas Way: A Legacy of Pride both documents and pays homage to an honored way of life and livelihood that is disappearing from the region.