In Spanish America, the "rodeo" was the process that was used by vaqueros to gather cattle for various purposes, such as moving them to new pastures, separating the cattle owned by different ranchers, or gathering in preparation for slaughter ("matanza"). The yearly rodeos for separating the cattle were overseen by the "Juez del Campo," who decided all questions of ownership. The term was also used to refer to exhibitions of skills used in the working "rodeo". This evolved from these yearly gatherings where festivities were held and horsemen could demonstrate their equestrian skills. It was this latter usage which was adopted into the cowboy tradition of the United States and Canada.