Tex Mex Santa wears a sombrero and swaps reindeer

It seems right that different cultures would adapt Santa to suit their own traditions.But when the finished product involves riding a Harley Davidson, dressing in a slick zoot suit and sporting a sombrero you know that your Santa has the cool factor.Meet Pancho Claus, the Tex Mex Santa who usually has black hair, a black beard or sometimes just a moustache. Like Santa, he wears a hat — though often it's a sombrero. He dons a serape or a poncho and, in one case, a red and black zoot suit. Pancho Claus likes to make an entrance wherever he goes too, usually on a lowrider or Harley Davidson, led by a pack of burros instead of eight reindeer.The tradition comes from the Chicano civil rights movement, and Pancho Claus is mostly based in Texas US.Lorenzo Cano, a Mexican-American studies scholar at the University of Houston, says Pancho was apparently conceived north of the border as Mexican-Americans looked to 'build a place and a space for themselves' in the 1970s. His rise coincided with a growing interest in Mexican art, Cinco de Mayo, Mexican Independence Day and other cultural events.Each of the Panchos has a unique local flavour, and the tradition is adored across Texas.Some historians believe that the tradition is set to spread to other parts of the US too, with Panchos being spotted in California already.(dailymail.co.uk)ANN.Az