Elias Santoyo, from Zacatecas, Mexico, performed rope tricks as part of the Centenario Charro team during the Mexican Rodeo Extravaganza on Sunday. While Santoyo started working with a lasso (“la mangana” in Spanish) as a young boy roping cattle, he now also competes in team roping competitions.
“When I was really little, my family was always using ropes. So then I started learning some tricks. I practice every day. The goal is to keep the rope going, and if it dies then you start all over. It’s part of Mexican Charrería, just art. You use it in Mexican team roping as well. You do a bunch of tricks, and then you go get the bull. Depending on how many tricks, that’s how many points you get.”
CPR's Nathaniel Minor contributed to this report.
