“Los Vaqueros,” or the cowboys,and initially chose to start in Reynosa, Mexico, just across the border from Hidalgo, Texas, 386 miles away from Houston.
But there were complications and time-consuming requirements in crossing an international border with a line of wagons and horsemen.
So, the problem was solved by starting from Hidalgo instead. As it turned out, this made the trail ride the longest in distance and time (three weeks)