The Gauchos of the Pampas – The Cowboys

The Gauchos of the Pampas in Argentina.

The history of the Gauchos in Argentina is very interesting. The word “Gaucho” was first used in 1790 and describes a very rough person, with many heavy manners that would travel alone, sometimes with a woman, having only his baggage and a knife called a facon with him. They are the Cowboys of Argentina and have often been called the wanderers of the Pampas. This I could picture. A gaucho wandering the mountains on his horse. A solo rider. A loner.

A long history and often seen as troublemakers.

They have a long history going back to the 1600s but unfortunately they did not always have a good reputation and have been seen as troublemakers by the government. More about that a little later.

In the 1600s cows were roaming the fields and leather was one of the most important commodities to trade with. The meat was not that important and once the cow had been slaughtered and the skin removed the dead cow served of little purpose. The gauchos quickly cooked the meat on an open fire before it turned bad.

People criticized them for doing this and said that this habit was unwelcome and unhealthy. Interesting, today this type of cooking is a national pastime and very popular in Argentina. They call it asado or in the other countries it is referred to as a barbeque.

The Gauchos and the countryside.

The gauchos were familiar with the land and the animals. They belonged to the countryside. They often used to fight other natives or they would gather together in “vaquerias” for hunting purposes. In 1620 the gauchos became very unpopular with the “Cabildo” or government of Buenos Aires.

The Cabildo was not worried about the gauchos but the economic consequences of their behaviour. The continues slaughtering of animals without consideration would put the highly valued commodity, leather, at risk. To make matters worse the natives also got involved in the slaughtering of animals for the skin.

Gauchos in Argentina

History of the gauchos and confrontation.

In 1715 this practice had reduced the cattle head count to a bare minimum. The government had to do something and started to take action against the gauchos. By 1790 the term “Gaucho” was used in a derogative way in public statements by the government. This added more insult to their already low reputation. Sadly not even fighting shoulder to shoulder with the Criollos against early Spanish domination improved their reputation.

Slowly but surely they gained more respect. This happened when they actively joined the resistance movement against Spain. When one of the provinces Salta needed help the gauchos quickly gathered together and formed an army. This action gained them a lot of respect. Then salt was discovered and this was a huge thing for the gauchos. Now they were able to treat the meat and soon meat became just as important as the leather.

Gauchos in Argentina

Ranches started to develop in Argentina.

Ranches started to develop and who better to run a ranch than a gaucho? They knew the land and the animals. They passed on their skills to other people. But then something strange happened and gauchos became extinct.

I have read in a travel forum that people were saying there are no more gauchos in Argentina. That is not the truth. They are still here. They can be seen in many small villages and they carry themselves with the utmost pride. We can often see them in action.

Gauchos in Argentina

I have been fortunate to have done quite a bit of travelling. By heart I am an adventurer and I love exploring new places, cultures and food. Travelling can become stressful and expensive. Over the years I have learnt to travel as cost effective as possible, simply by travelling more clever. Nelmitravel.com is a Adventure and Budget Travel site where I review Airlines, Accommodation, Transport, Restaurants and give helpful travel information.

23 Comments

  1. WOW…this is like a virtual encyclopedia for me..as I mentioned to someone today,I am learning all over again….Thank u for this one Nelieta…God bless u always.

  2. I grew up in love with all things cowboys ( a product of Hollywood) Gauchos for me are just a different flavor. Looking forward to more…

  3. Your posts are so informative Nelieta. I had heard of gauchos but knew little of them till now. Thank you

  4. No soy muy fluido en Español. Pero me encanta su blog. Siempre he leído acerca de los gauchos. Me siento muy feliz de conocer a alguien que se ha reunido con ellos.

  5. Nice informational story. Just goes to show that leather workers are important. I'll be reading the next instalment.

  6. Hi Jim, yes I found the story fascinating. I think we live in a world where things like leather is available almost everywhere so we never really give the history a lot of thought. Especially what people will do to survive. I am glad they have managed to find a solution and not to kill just for the skin. Today Argentina is know for the best meat in the world and they export a lot.Part 2 will be available soon!

  7. Hi Jim Shoe, not sure why the photos display side ways in your browser. I have checked in Picasa web album and it looks fine as well as in my browser. I use Firefox. Is it only in this post?Thank you for mentioning it to me.

  8. I have heard about them, read a couple of recent stories that involved them, but had no idea of their history. Easy to get a false picture – thought they were just like the American cowboys. Can't wait for next installment

  9. Hi Jim Shoe, not sure why the photos display side ways in your browser. I have checked in Picasa web album and it looks fine as well as in my browser. I use Firefox. Is it only in this post?Thank you for mentioning it to me.

  10. Hi Jim, yes I found the story fascinating. I think we live in a world where things like leather is available almost everywhere so we never really give the history a lot of thought. Especially what people will do to survive. I am glad they have managed to find a solution and not to kill just for the skin. Today Argentina is know for the best meat in the world and they export a lot.Part 2 will be available soon!

  11. Hi Jim B, we live in a small town and often see them coming past our house.So I knew gauchos definitely existed. I was very curious to find out the history so the timing was perfect. I am sure Part 2 will not disappoint 🙂

  12. WOW…this is like a virtual encyclopedia for me..as I mentioned to someone today,I am learning all over again….Thank u for this one Nelieta…God bless u always.

    1. Hi, I have honestly no idea. They mostly sell the cows and don’t do the slaughtering themselves. I assume they only slaughter cows for personal use but how often it happens I have no idea.

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