Rowel Spur (Left) first half 18th century Mexican The neck of this spur, holding the rowel, is decorated with pierced vegetal scrolls and a small bird in relief at the junction with the heel. The outer side of the heel band, on the left, is carved with a pierced diamond-shaped niche in which an animal is seated, maybe a monkey, holding a fruit in its front hands.While the pierced decoration has been influenced by the importation, via Spain, of horse equipment made in Southern Germany in the 16th and 17th century, as well as by Chinese textiles, 18th-century Mexican spurs like this example, in addition to bits and stirrups, often feature native designs and animals, such as birds, dogs and monkeys.Although less impressive and impractical than some oversized contemporary examples, this well- adorned spur and its lost mate would have probably been used during ceremonies and festivals as a mark of status, thereby revealing the importance of horses in traditional Mexican society.. Rowel Spur