Josh Whitlock and Dr. David Laraway, Spanish and Portuguese
The term gaucho refers to the national hero of Argentina and Uruguay—a once free-roaming and self-sufficient individual, roughly the equivalent of the cowboy in the United States. These heroes are of central importance to the countries they have traditionally inhabited. A quote at the entrance of the Museo del Gaucho y la Moneda in Montevideo, Uruguay reads (as translated to English) “To study the gaucho is to put your hand in the open chest of the fatherland and to touch, to feel warm and alive the beating of it’s own heart.” The gaucho is an intriguing and multifaceted figure with staunch ideals but ever-evolving characteristics.
I began my research with an intense interest in, but a limited knowledge of the gaucho. My intent was to compare the modern-day gaucho to his predecessor, the original cattleman of the South American plains. I planned to do so through an analysis of Latin American literature and also through an ethnographic field study amongst a group of gauchos on the Uruguay-Brazil border. As I attempted to carry out my research, I found it necessary to modify both my focus and methods. An analysis of the gradual evolution of the gaucho and the driving forces behind this evolution was more relevant than my originally intended comparison. Important to this evolutionary focus was a study of the effects of modernization on the group. I turned primarily to fact-based literature, and relied heavily on face-to-face interviews with a select group of individuals. As for the ethnographic aspect of my project, I ran into numerous unforeseen difficulties in communicating with the group that I had planned to study. I was able to take advantage though of my non-refundable ticket to Montevideo by interviewing Uruguayan history professors, museum directors, everyday citizens, and a man who considers himself an authentic gaucho. In addition, I was able to visit the country’s official gaucho museum, collect literature that would have been otherwise unavailable to me, and obtain valuable information on the country’s various gaucho festivals. My research experience opened the door to an enhanced understanding of the gaucho and also of the effects of modernization on this societal group.
The gaucho has above all been an evolutionary figure shaped by political and economic circumstances and by the pervasive trend of modernization, and has had an indelible impression on South American culture and history. The first gauchos were a free-roaming and law-evading breed. Many were outlaws who had escaped from larger cities like Buenos Aires and Montevideo to the vast South American grasslands. They lived an extremely solitary life and were widely considered as dangerous renegades. According to retired history professor Jose Enrique Fernandez, the primitive gaucho had no concept of property. His sole possessions were often a horse, a poncho, and the knife that seemed to be an extension of his hand. These original gauchos lived primarily from stolen livestock and developed impressive horsemanship skills.
The way of life of the gaucho first began to change in the early 19th century. As Argentina and Uruguay struggled for independence from Spain, the country’s military leaders recruited gauchos for battle. As a result of their important role in the struggle for independence, gauchos began to be respected and even idealized by other citizens. This change in public opinion was also fueled by the literature of the day. In 1872 Argentine Jose Hernandez wrote an extremely influential work: The Gaucho Martin Fierro. Hernandez portrayed the gaucho as a humble, courageous, and noble figure who only wished to enjoy a simple life in his beloved campo (open fields). Martin Fierro was wildly successful and is still regarded as a national treasure by Argentines. Subsequently, a rich genre of gaucho poetry and literature emerged including Ricardo Guiraldes’ popular novel Don Segundo Sombra. As a result of this newfound acceptance, gauchos were drawn increasingly into the mainstream society that they had so ardently avoided. While they still preferred the life of the campo, as the once untouched grasslands began to be divided among landowners gauchos were increasingly confined to large ranches called estancias. The introduction of iron and barbed wire fences further modified the gaucho lifestyle that had once relied so heavily on access to unclaimed or simply unattended livestock.
Over the years, the dual trends of modernization and urbanization have caused the continued evolution of the gaucho by way of technological advances and the further development of oncepristine lands. Today in South America one can still observe men conspicuously dressed in the traditional gaucho attire. In Uruguay, for example, they travel from all over the country to participate in annual festivals such as the weeklong Semana Criolla. However, many argue that these men are gauchos only in appearance. Juan Carlos Bermudez, director of the official gaucho museum of Uruguay states that these men are often wealthy landowners who enjoy all the comforts of modernity—a way of life foreign to earlier gauchos. They drive automobiles, eat a varied diet, and shop and live in or close to towns and cities. Bermudez states that the true modern-day gauchos are the poor peons (ranch hands) of the campo. Though their way of dress has drastically changed, they continue to live a simple life in the campo, spend their days working with livestock, and, out of necessity, eat a limited diet consisting almost solely of red meat.
The gaucho then lives on in various ways—from festivals, to literature, to the lives of poor peons, to the souvenir shops that line major city streets. And, though modernization continues to threaten the simple, solitary life prized by gauchos, the gaucho will survive indefinitely in the hearts of the South Americans who evince an almost palpable pride in the figure. The ideals attributed to the gaucho—simplicity, self-sufficiency, and courage have become a mainstay of this area’s culture. In a region that has continually struggled and often failed to keep pace with the ever-changing world, the idea of the gaucho–in all its varied forms–offers stability, identity, and a link to a simpler past.
References
- Bermudez, Juan Carlos, museum director, Museo Del Gaucho y De La Moneda. 2002. Interview by author, 13 February, Montevideo
- Fernandez, Jose Enrique, history professor Liceo 32, Montevideo, Uruguay. 2002. Interview by author, 15 February, Montevideo, Uruguay.
- Traversoni, Alfredo. 1965. Historia de America. Editorial Kapelusz S.A. Montevideo.