PLEASANT HILL, Iowa — In the last three years, one of Des Moines escaramuza charra teams has already reached international success. Most recently, being featured in National Geographic.
Quetzalli, made up of eight women and a few alternates, compete charrería: a Mexican rodeo where charros and escaramuza perform a series of equestrian events in an arena.
"To be on National Geographic is a dream cause for us to be from Iowa, one of the four escaramuza teams in the state, and to be featured in National Geographic in our second year, is amazing," founder and captain Alejandra Pina told Local 5 News.
Wendy Murillo, who is the only person on the team to have trained her own horse, added: "We start realizing like you're making a really big impact. 'Cause it's not just one thing. It's one, and then another, and then you get recognized for another thing."
Last August, Quetzalli hosted the first ever qualifier in Iowa for the annual international competition in San Luis Potosi, Mexico, which the team qualified for, and participated in, in November.
Pina said being able to compete in Mexico felt like "home there," while Murillo said she never thought "it was achievable."
But when you're a team with lots of talent in a sport continuing to rise in popularity in the country, competing against the world's best in Mexico is reachable.
And that skill and growth as a team has girls from inside and outside the U.S. looking up to Pina, Murillo and others as role models.