Photo: Luis Fabini

The cowboy culture of the American West takes a historical backseat to every other region in the Americas. But whether in Texas or Brazil, the core of a cowboy is the same: a connection between man, animals, and the land. Uruguay-based photographer Luis Fabini spent the last decade photographing these men across North and South America and has narrowed down thousands of images into a new book called Cowboys of the Americas . Here, Fabini shares some his favorites images and characters from book.Vaqueiros in Brazil. Their handmade leather armor not only protects the men from the burning sun, but also shields them from bare branches and long, sharp needles of the surrounding bush.