Open range cattle herding in Texas: it started in Europe Cattle were first introduced to the Texas region by Spanish soldiers, who traded enslaved natives for cattle and horses from the Caribbean. The commonly accepted scenario is that cattle herding, first introduced into Mexico, expanded northward via the arid central highlands. The commonly accepted scenario is that cattle herding, first introduced into Mexico, expanded northward via the semi-arid highlands, undergoing only slight modifications on the journey to Texas. In particular, the Pánuco area (northern Veracruz and southern Tamaulipas) was critical in the diffusion of cattle to Texas. "Herding cattle from horseback was not an invention of the Pánuco settlers, but rather an import from the Spanish motherland."