Tomás Garcilazo has put his Mexican legacy on display for millions of fans, and he’s added his family to the mix. Not only will his beautiful wife, Justine, be part of the show at Utah’s Own PRCA Rodeo, but so will two sons, 12-year-old Louis and 3-year-old Ulysse.
(PHOTO BY ALEXIS CADY)
Garcilazos will put Mexican legacy on display at Utah’s Own Rodeo
SALT LAKE CITY – Ulysse Garcilazo is 3 years old, but he already steals the show.
Sure, that happens in households around the world. Toddlers toddling makes for entertainment, but Ulysse is different. He comes from a family of entertainers, a fourth-generation charro that is still learning about La Cherreria, a skill performed only by the Mexican charro.
He will be part of the Garcilazo family’s acts during Utah’s Own Rodeo, set for 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 11; Saturday, Sept. 12; and Monday, Sept. 14, in the Days of ’47 Arena at the Utah State Fairpark in Salt Lake City. Tickets can be purchased at UtahStateFair.com/tickets.
The patriarch is Tomás Garcilazo, who brought his family’s legacy to the United States from his native Mexico. He is a four-time PRCA Specialty Act of the Year award-winner and returns to Salt Lake City eager to share the pageantry of La Cherreria with the thousands who will pack into the stadium for three nights during the Utah State Fair.
“I’m a charro,” said Tomás, who also shares the arena with his wife, Justine, and their oldest son, Louis. “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 sons. 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.”
Louis has already been a major part of the act. Fluent in English, Spanish and French, the 12-year-old introduces his father before riding to center stage with him, performing roping and riding maneuvers most adults can’t perform. Even at a young age, Louis’ confidence shines in the spotlight.
“Part of my pride is that he has to have his background as a competitor,” Tomás said. “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.”
They have another young son, 5-year-old Gaspar, who remains an integral part of the family, though his interest has yet to be in the performance. With the brawn comes the beauty in Justine, a French-born horsewoman who is building a business with the boys in her life. Together with Tomás, they are raising their family with an understanding of all traditions: French, Mexican and American.
“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,” Tomás said. “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.
“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. 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.”
Soon enough, though, the Garcilazos will have two young men driving them. Now in his late-50s, Tomás loves that his family’s legacy is continuing.
“I emphasize the tradition a lot,” he said. “The heritage is very strong. For me, it is big that those are being carried on in modern day and that it is a privilege for me to keep up with this way of life.”