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Like the American cowboy, the gaucho stands as an iconic image and integral part of the national identity in South America, in places like Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, and southern Brazil.

HISTORY

The first settlers to arrive in South America brought cattle and horses with them. Some of the cattle escaped, and over time, large herds roamed wild, thriving in the fertile and predator-free ranges of the Pampas. Soon, groups of men began to follow and hunt the herds, making a living by trading meat and hides. These men lived a nomadic life, away from civilization, and soon developed a culture of their own. Treated like outcasts, they were called gauchos, a name believed to have been derived from the Quechua Indian word huachu, meaning "orphan" or "vagabond."

Gauchos became skilled hunters and horsemen, able to live off the land while unerringly navigating the huge plains. They prided themselves on their self-sufficiency and freedom.

During the wars for independence from Spanish rule of the early 19th century, the gauchos were sought after for their prowess as scouts and cavalry troops. Their status in Hispanic-American society quickly went from vagabond and outlaw to brave soldier and heroic patriot.

By the end of the 19th century, the Pampas had been fenced into huge estates, called estancias, and gauchos went from being free-spirited wanderers to staid farmhands.

The romantic image of the gaucho remained, though, and is still an important part of the culture. Two prominent pieces of literatura gauchesca (gaucho literature) are José Hernández' epic poem El Gaucho Martín Fierro and Ricardo Güiraldes' novel Don Segundo Sombra.

CHARACTERISTICS

In his journals, Charles Darwin wrote this after his visit to Uruguay in 1832:

“With their bright-colored garments, great spurs clanking about their heels, and knives stuck as daggers at their waists, they look a very different race of men from what might be expected from their name of Gauchos, or simple countryman. Their politeness is excessive; they never drink their spirits without expecting you to taste it, but whilst making their exceedingly graceful bow, they seem quite ready, if occasion offered, to cut your throat.”

Ethnically, gauchos were usually criollos (of Spanish ancestry) or mestizos (mixed Spanish and Indian blood), although blacks, mulattos (mixed black/white) and other ethnic origins were also present.

There are many similarities of characteristics between the North American cowboy and the South American gaucho. A gaucho might be taciturn, mistrustful, stoic, loyal, fierce, or melancholy. One singular trait commonly associated with gauchos was their quickness to anger; they were known to explode into violence in response to a challenge or insult. Another famous gaucho trait was that of melancholy, especially in the literature that often portrayed the gaucho fighting a losing battle to maintain his old-fashioned culture and traditions against the encroaching force of modern civilization.

One particular aspect that separated gauchos from their American cousins was their choice of weapons. When we think of two cowboys fighting, we picture a tense showdown in the middle of the street, followed by a hail of bullets from drawn pistols. A fight between gauchos, though, would more likely have been an affair of flashing blades than flying lead.