Garcilazos will bring award-winning charro showmanship to Utah State Fair
SALT LAKE CITY – Tomas Garcilazo is best known as a showman; deep down, though, he’s a competitor who not only loves the spotlight but thrives in it.
Just like his family before him, Garcilazo is not only carrying on the legacy of La Cherreria – a skill performed only by the Mexican charro – he is passing int down to the fourth generation, his sons, Louis, Gaspar and Ulysse. While the smallest two of the trio are still too young to showcase their talents, 10-year-old Louis is very involved in the family business.
“He’s a fourth-generation as a charro,” said Tomas Garcilazo, who will have his family performing at Utah’s Own PRCA Rodeo, set for 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 6, and Saturday, Sept. 7, with the final performance at 6 p.m. Monday, Sept. 9, in the Days of ’47 Arena at the Utah State Fairgrounds in Salt Lake City. Tickets can be purchased at UtahStateFair.com/tickets.
“I’m a charro. My background is competition. A charro is a horseman, a Mexican horseman that has a skill with a rope and, of course, with the horses, and I passed it on to my son. It is my goal, and it’s a treasure because it is my heritage, and we want to preserve those roots and culture. We don’t want to let it die.
“Part of my pride is that he has to have his background as a competitor. He has already competed a couple of times in the all-around charro style, which is comprised by seven events, and he’s doing really good. That foundation is important for me, because I don’t want him to just be a performer on the stage. I want him to be a competitor. I want him to break his own colts, to build them, to make them, to have the communication with them so he can understand how important the tradition is.”
The Garcilazos have been recognized as having incredible animals that are part of their lives. That means they take pride in their daily work with their equine partners and with the development of their own skills. Justin Garcilazo is more than a wife and a mother. She is a vital part of the program and an important piece of every rodeo performance. Oftentimes, she is called into the arena to help present a taste of Americana or join her family on stage.
“Altogether, this is a message to the kids, to the girls, because my wife is performing as a female and my son as a boy,” Tomas Garcilazo said. “He’s projecting himself to encourage the new generation and to encourage me as a senior just to keep up with him. We travel 365 days a year, all year long, and this is our pride.”
Though the competitive fire burns inside the 55-year-old man originally from Mexico City, Garcilazo is sharing his dreams and his passion with thousands of fans at rodeos across North America. He has been recognized four times as PRCA Act of the Year and has performed dozens of times at the National Finals Rodeo. The family is excited to return to Salt Lake City this September.
“It’s a beautiful stadium because it’s surrounded by the beautiful bleachers the beautiful (fair) grounds,” he said. “Utah, to me, is the best state for specialty acts. They cheer. They give their hearts to us. All of Utah gives us amazing crowds.”
It’s another big stop for the family that lives on the rodeo trail and shares a passion with one another. The boys will be raised in a well-rounded home with a Mexican father and a French mother who not only share a worldly life but have a deep-rooted love affair with the history of the American West.
“Something that’s really important to us is that from head to toes, we have the Western-style and charro-style, which are very beautiful and unique,” Tomas Garcilazo said. “My wife is going to carry the American flag, and we feel so proud to do that because it’s the best flag in the world. My horses’ tack, our outfits and the handle of the horse, beauty has to be the one thing in the mind and in the picture. This is also something we take great pride in.”
He would love to see the life of a charro continue through the ages and in the hearts of his own children, but neither Tomas nor Justine has any interest in demanding anything out of their sons. They will teach them the traditions and the passions they have for horses, but it will be up to the boys to decide their own paths in life.
“I think traveling together is the best that we can offer them,” Tomas Garcilazo said. “If they’re home, then we miss that big gap of time of developing and growing by doing. When they grow up, they can choose to do whatever they want, but in the meantime, they are willing to do this because they see other kids, other rural kids and cowboys and cowgirls doing this, too.
“Louis gets excited and likes performing. I don’t push him. He develops that taste and desire to perform. He likes the reward, the attention. As a kid, they all want to have the attention, and they have it when they perform in the arena.”