Top-notch equestrians from Mexico and the United States are saddling up to compete in the 70th Campeonato Nacional Charro, to be held Monday, October 27 through Sunday, November 16 at the Rancho Santa María arena in Tlajomulco de Zuñiga.

The full three-week program kicks off with a formal opening ceremony on Saturday, October 25, 7 p.m., at Guadalajara’s Hospicio Cabañas and 2 exhibition charreadas set at the host venue on Sunday, October 26, noon and 6 p.m.

The preliminary round of the rough and tumble contest runs from October 27 through November 11, with 135 charro teams vying to qualify for spots in the title event. Three charreadas will take place daily, noon, 4 p.m. and 8 p.m., except for October 29, October 31 and November 7 when nighttime contests will be suspended for special musical and social events. Quarter final competitions follow November 13 and 14, narrowing down to semifinals on November 15, under the same schedule of three events per day.

The initial phase of the charro completo contest, an abbreviated charreada format for 15 top-ranked individual competitors, comes on November 12 in three rounds set for noon, 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. The top three go on to the final.

The elimination round of the escaramuza championship among 96 female equestrian drill teams runs from October 27 through November 12, with two groups performing during each charreada. From there 18 teams will move on to the November 13 to 15 semifinals to select the top five for the final dust up.

Champions in all three categories will be defined Sunday, November 16, with the charro completo contest at Noon, escaramuzas appearing at 2 p.m. and charro teams closing out at 4 p.m.

Rancho Santa María is located on the highway linking Cajititlán and Santa Cruz de las Flores, accessed from Highway 54 that leads out of Guadalajara on Avenida López Mateos. Lakeside residents can get there via Highway 15 out of Jocotepec or from the road to Cajititlán branching off from the Chapala-Guadalajara highway about halfway between the Santa Rosa junction and the airport.

Tickets for preliminary events will be sold at the gate, priced at 90 pesos for each full day. Package deals for the last four days may be booked through masboletos.mx. Competitions may be viewed free of charge on the Internet through November 8. The remaining events will be broadcast on Sky in a pay-per-event package deal.