Cuando el adelantado
Don Pedro de Mendoza, enfermo de sífilis y de ambición, fundó Buenos Aires por
primera vez en 1536, no imaginaba que no serían ni él ni sus compañeros de aventuras
quienes modificarían para siempre el paisaje pampeano, sino que tamaña
responsabilidad iba a recaer en las pocas vacas y caballos -y sus
descendientes- que traían en sus barcos. Porque los que habrían de dar su
fisonomía definitiva a esa inmensa llanura que con el tiempo se conocería como
"el granero del mundo", fueron esos animales que consiguieron escapar
de la hambruna que hizo abortar aquel primer intento colonizador en el Río de
Su explotación,
además, dio origen al personaje más característico del país: el gaucho. Porque aquellos
hombres que entre el 1700 y el 1900 se dedicaron a conquistar la Pampa , conocida entonces
también como el Desierto, se transformaron con el correr de los años en arquetipos
de hombres de campo, ejes de la gran tradición rural argentina.
Gaucho no es
gaucho sin su caballo. Como el caballo constituye en general la única y más preciada
posesión del gaucho, resulta lógico que fuera receptor de los mayores cuidados
y atenciones posibles. Así, la confección del conjunto de prendas con que se equipa
a la cabalgadura derivó en un verdadero arte. Estos equipos -denominados
aperos en varios países sudamericanos-evolucionaron hasta convertirse en piezas
complejas y maravillosas, únicas, utilitarias y ala vez símbolos de status,
comparables quizás a lo que el automóvil representa para e! hombre de hoy. Como
bien lo resumió en 1863 el viajero Thomas J. Hutchinson: "Un gaucho sin
su caballo es una cosa imposible. Al mover sus muebles, que consisten en camas,
sillas, mesas, ollas y loza, el lomo del caballo sirve para la carga. Los ataúdes
se llevan al cementerio atravesados sobre el lomo de un caballo; y uno apenas
tendría derecho a sorprenderse si oyese hablar de una especie de semicentauro,
que va dormido o cocinando su comida a caballo, especialmente si miramos el
cuadro que tenemos delante, de un dentista que opera en las mandíbulas de un
pobre diablo, en el que se ve a caballo tanto al paciente como al médico".
De todos modos,
para comprender la tradición del gaucho, es preciso hacer un repaso de la historia
del otro gran protagonista humano de esta saga: el indio. Los primeros
pobladores aborígenes de la llanura pampeana llegaron desde el Norte y se
conocieron como querandíes, patagones y tehuelches, según las distintas
regiones donde se instalaron. Estas tribus de nómades y cazadores prácticamente
se extinguieron en los siglos XVI y XVII por un doble proceso. Por un lado, los
conquistadores blancos las echaron de parte de sus territorios y las diezmaron
con enfermedades no conocidas previamente en el continente, como la viruela.
INDIANS, GAUCHOS AND HORSES
When the
spanish explorer Don Pedro de Mendoza, suffering from syphilis and filled with
ambition, first founded Buenos Aires in 1536, he did not imagine it was not
going to be him nor his adventure comrades who would modify once and for all the
landscape of the Pampas, but this huge responsibility would actually
fall in the few cows and horses -and their offspring- they had brought on their
ships. For those who would give its final physiognomy to that immense plain, later
known as "el granero del mundo" (the world's granary), were
those animáis that got to survive from the starvation that caused the first
colonising attempt to the River Plate to be aborted (it is worth recalling that
Buenos Aires was then abandoned and not founded again until 1580 by Juan de
Garay, this time definitely). Free and multiplied by dozens of thousands,
bovines and horses took on the lands and led the way and customs of the
inhabitants that little by little occupied the región. Those heads of wild
animáis would later be the cause of a dispute that lasted for centuries between
indians and colonisers, and would do for the initial capital that allowed for
the economical development that made Argentina a world power towards the end of
the 19 century. Furthermore, their exploitation gave birth to the most
characteristic figure of the country: the gaucho. These men, that
between the years 1700 and 1900 devoted themselves to the conquering of the Pampas
-also known back then as the Desierto (Desert)-, became, with the
passing of time, archetypes of countrymen, axis in the great rural tradition.
And, as
everybody knows, a gaucho is not such without its horse. Given that the
horse is, generally, the only and most precious possession of the gaucho, it
seems logical that it receives the best cares and possible attentions. Thus,
the design of the group of clothes with which horses are equipped developed
into a true art. These equipments, called aperos in many South American
countries, evolved into complex and wonderful garments, unique, useful and at
the same time a status symbol, maybe comparable to what cars are for men
nowadays. As traveller Thomas J. Hutchinson describecl in 1863: "A
gaucho without bis horse is something impossible. When moving bis goods,
consisting ofbeds, chairs, tables, pots and crockery, horsebacks are usedfor
loading. Coffins are carried to the cemetery laid across a horse's back, and
one should hardly be surprised ifsomebody said some son of semi-centauris
sleeping or cooking bis meal on the back of bis horse, especially ifwe take a
look at thepicture infront ofus, with a dentist operating into thejaws
ofsomepoor devil, in which not only thepatient can be seen on horseback, but
the doctor too."
CULTURE
The gaucho plays an important symbolic role in the nationalist feelings of this region, especially that of Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay. The epic poem Martín Fierro by José Hernández (considered by some the national epic of Argentina) 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. Like the North American cowboys, as discussed in Richard W. Slatta, Cowboys of the Americas, gauchos were generally reputed to be strong, honest, silent types, but proud and capable of violence when provoked. The gaucho tendency to violence over petty matters is also recognized as a typical trait. Gauchos' use of the famous "facón" (large knife generally tucked into the rear of the gaucho sash) is legendary, often associated with considerable bloodletting. Historically, the facón was typically the only eating instrument that a gaucho carried.
Also like the cowboy, as shown in Richard W. Slatta, Cowboys of the Americas, gauchos were and remain proud and great horseriders. Typically, a gaucho's horse constituted most of what he owned in the world. During the wars of the 19th century in the Southern Cone, the cavalries on all sides were composed almost entirely of gauchos. In Argentina, gaucho armies such as that of Martín Miguel de Güemes, slowed Spanish advances. Furthermore, many caudillos relied on gaucho armies to control the Argentine provinces.
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.
Gauchos dressed quite distinctly from North American cowboys, and used bolas or boleadoras - in Portuguese boleadeiras - (three leather bound rocks tied together with approximately three feet long leather straps) in addition to the familiar "North American" lariat or riata. The typical gaucho outfit would include a poncho (which doubled as a saddle blanket and as sleeping gear), a facón (large knife), a rebenque (leather whip), and loose-fitting trousers called bombachas, belted with a tirador, or a chiripá, a piece of cloth used in the fashion—but not the function—of a diaper. In the wintertime, gauchos wore heavy wool ponchos to protect against cold. Nowadays, working gauchos are as likely to be found in overalls and wellington boots as in their traditional dress.
Just as the disappearance of the "Wild West" of the United States altered the character and employment of "cowboys," so too did the nature of gauchos become changed[ Those with urban and academic orientations typically continue to cling to an image of gauchos that is no longer accurate or consistent with contemporary rural realities.
