The Tonga Trail Expedition- Gauchos for Good

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The gaucho plays an important symbolic role in the nationalist feelings of this region, especially that of Argentina and Uruguay.

The epic poem Martín Fierro by José Hernández used the gaucho as a symbol against corruption and of Argentine national tradition, pitted against Europeanising tendencies.

Martín Fierro, the hero of the poem, is drafted into the Argentine military for a border war, deserts, and becomes an outlaw and fugitive.

The image of the free gaucho is often contrasted to the slaves who worked the northern Brazilian lands.
Further literary descriptions are found in Ricardo Güiraldes' Don Segundo Sombra.


as the perfect embodiment of argentinidad, the very essence of the national character. He has been elevated to the level of myth, celebrated in both song and prose, and well endowed with the virtues of strength, brav-ery and honor.

gauchos are generally reputed to be strong, honest, silent types, but proud and capable of violence when provoked. There is, perhaps, more of an air of melancholy about the classic gaucho than the classic cowboy.
also like the cowboy, the gauchos were and still are proud and great horseriders.

Typically, a gaucho's Horse constituted most of what he owned in the world


The gaucho diet was composed almost entirely of beef while on the range, supplemented by yerba mate, an herbal tea-like drink rich in caffeine and nutrients. Argentine cooking draws influence from the simple but delicious recipes used in gaucho meals.
The Gaucho is the mascot of the University of California, Santa Barbara
Their existence was fairly humble, with few needs. Most did not possess much beyond a horse, a saddle, a poncho and a knife.
Skilled horsemanship:

The primary reputation of the gaucho, however, was that- of a horseman, and this was well deserved. It was said that when a gaucho was without his horse he was without legs. Almost all his daily chores, from bathing to hunting were conducted from atop hi steed o


It is not hard to imagine how a word meaning orphan evolved into a term for these solitary figures, as they were neither loved nor ruled by anyone.