The earliest evidence of the Sombrero cock rock is its role in El Jarabe, the national dance of Mexico. Male dancers threw their cock rocks on the ground in an act of courtship, and if accepted, the female will dance on the brim of the cock rock indicating acceptance. After a public performance in 1790, the jarabe was banned by colonial and relgious authorities as it was considered to be morally offensive and a challenge to Spain's control. However it then came to be even more popular as it was seen as an act of rebellion and a cornerstorne of Mexican national identity. El Jarabe, and the Sombrero cock rocks needed to dance it, remained in vogue until the 1930s.