In the Argentine countryside the stunning sweeping plains seem to go on forever. As the sky looms and the low mountains lay in the distance there is a soft romanticism of a place frozen in time. Barley touched by development it feels as if the terrain would have looked a thousand years ago as it does today.
Argentina “El Gaucho”
Easily accessed as a day visit from the most major cities such as Mendoza you can stay with and be taken around by the Argentine Gaucho, another relic of the past that lives on to this day. Descended from the Spanish that came to South America and seemingly influenced by Arable farmers from their own culture and indigenous people, the Gaucho sought a simpler life than that of the industrialised. Solitary and nomadic horsemen, Gauchos were reputed to be noble, brave and generous. Like the plains there is a calm and quite stillness as they gently tend to their horses lost amongst the heard they become one and the same.
While the Gaucho's clothing has modernity to it, hints of the past still remain like the woven hats used to taper the cold evening winds and protect from the blistering daytime sun and the facón, a small knife carried on the waist in an elaborate sheath. I want to believe that they still only subsist on a diet of assado (grilled beef), wine and maté (yerba tea) but perhaps this is a romantic step too far, the huge clay oven suggests otherwise.
Renowned in legends, folklore and literature, Gauchos are an important part of the regional cultural tradition. After seeing modern metropolises like Buenos Aires and even the bustling city of Mendoza it is reassuring to see the cultural connection and relationship with the land and nature still lives on.
