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Gauchos, a relic from the past.
They've been called the wanderers of the Pampas. Gauchos have been known to wander the countryside as early as the 1600's, time in which the 'flatlands' were overpopulated by 'ci-marron' cattle...
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They've been called the wanderers of the Pampas. Gauchos have been known to wander the countryside as early as the 1600's, time in which the 'flatlands' were overpopulated by 'ci-marron' cattle, brought to South Ame-rica by Pedro de Mendoza in 1538.
At that time and through many centu-ries, cow leather was one of most tra-ded goods between the old world and the colonies. The main importance of cattle was not the meat but the leather obtained from it.
Since the commercial value of a cow was narrowed to such item, once slaughtered cows posed no interest, except for gauchos who would use as much of it as possible, feeding them-selves. They would quickly cook the meat in an open fire before it turned bad. This habit of gauchos was con-sidered rather unwelcomed and un-healthy and added a further negative note to their already low reputation.
Eventually, after many many decades the habit of grilling meat 'the gaucho way, in an open fire, turn into a national passtime: cooking asado.
Gauchos belonged to the countrysi-de. They would be the ones who were familiar with all intricacies of the land and their animals, as well as the life of the natives they would fight. Gauchos would gather together in ''vaquerias'' for hunting purposes.
In hunting trips they would be armed with 'boleadoras' , a 3 hardrock leather balls tied to a rope, that they would use to stop animals from running away. Then, Gauchos would cut the tendons of their legs with a sharp half-moon shaped iron device. And thus, they would constantly struggle to survive.
By 1620, gauchos were known to cau-se many troubles and were the subject of attention from the 'Cabildo'. the Buenos Aires based government or-ganization. The actual concern was not so much themselves, but the eco-nomic consequences of their beha-viour. Slaughtering animals without consideration would soon put at risk a highly valued staple, the leather. Making matters worse, natives would al-so be involved in the slaughtering for the same reasons gauchos were.
By 1715 Europe's heavy demand of leather was taken a toll on 'cimarron' cattle head count, which was reaching a low point, therefore, the government took action against gauchos, further underestimating their potential.
The word 'gaucho' came into existence for the first time in 1790 to describe a very rough individual, with heavy manners, that would travel alone, so-metimes with a woman, having as his only baggage, a knife called 'facon', boleadoras and a 'lazo' to hunt. The term in the begining was so derogatory that it wouldn't be part of public statements from the Federal Government, even when gauchos were fighting arm-to-arm with Criollos against the domination of the Spanish Crown. By then, Gauchos' reputation seemed to have hit bottom...
Very slowly, their image started a transformation. By joining the resistance movement against Spain they started to gain some respect. In particular in provinces like Salta, were their services were strongly needed. Gauchos would gather under a charismatic figure, a 'caudillo' , that would organize them in a military unit. A later development in the economy was of great help to further their image. With the discovery of the salt and the development of 'saladeros' it was now possible to make better economic use of cattle in general. Meat had become now as valuable as leather. Gauchos were in a good position to put to work all they had learned by themselves in those lonely moments living in close contact with animals. Soon, commercial ranches dveloped that needed managers to control cattle production. Noone could do a better job than the gauchos. Thus, they were now being seen as a valuable element of the whole domestic scene.
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