{"id":13193,"date":"2020-01-20T19:47:13","date_gmt":"2020-01-21T00:47:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/spanish\/?p=13193"},"modified":"2020-01-20T19:47:13","modified_gmt":"2020-01-21T00:47:13","slug":"the-gaucho-key-figure-of-the-argentinean-culture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/spanish\/the-gaucho-key-figure-of-the-argentinean-culture\/","title":{"rendered":"The Gaucho: Key Figure of the Argentinean Culture"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"

Image taken from Pixabay.<\/p><\/div>\n

The gaucho<\/em> could be defined as the Argentinean cowboy, a legendary figure well-known for their horse riding, cattle rearing, and living as a nomad of the pampas <\/em>(grassy steppes).<\/p>\n

The concept of the gaucho<\/em> spans hundreds of years, stemming from the colonization of the Southern Cone by the Spanish empire and the mixture of European and indigenous cultures that followed.<\/p>\n

The traditional image of the gauchos<\/em>\u2014wearing sombreros<\/em> (hats), bombachas<\/em> (loose trousers), and various tools of their trade\u2014can be seen on many souvenirs when going all around cities like Buenos Aires.<\/p>\n

However, the traces of gaucho<\/em> culture can be found deeply in Argentina\u2019s folk music, cuisine, and literature. Let\u2019s check some of them.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Chacarera, malambo<\/em><\/strong>, milonga<\/em>\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

The musical repertoire of the gauchos has left a big mark on Argentina\u2019s cultural landscape with their characteristic guitars, lively accordions, and powerful voices.<\/p>\n

Musical styles like chacarera<\/em>, malambo<\/em>, and milonga<\/em> may be heard not just on the countryside, but also on the outskirts of many cities and towns. That is the reason why some of their musical traits had had such an influence on the country\u2019s most famous genre: the tango.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=anktaszpvOQ<\/a><\/p>\n

Se apag\u00f3 el querer<\/em><\/p>\n

luego la pasi\u00f3n<\/em><\/p>\n

se llen\u00f3 de olvido<\/em><\/p>\n

el hontanar del amor.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Como imaginar<\/em><\/p>\n

que la libertad<\/em><\/p>\n

no tiene sentido<\/em><\/p>\n

si a mi lado no est\u00e1s.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Cuando caiga el sol<\/em><\/p>\n

al atardecer<\/em><\/p>\n

echar\u00e9 de menos<\/em><\/p>\n

el calor de tu piel.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Llevar\u00e9 en mi pecho<\/em><\/p>\n

todo lo vivido<\/em><\/p>\n

y aunque con olvido<\/em><\/p>\n

hayas pagado mi amor.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Intent\u00e9 olvidar<\/em><\/p>\n

todo entre los dos<\/em><\/p>\n

pero no se tapa<\/em><\/p>\n

con las manos el sol.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Late, coraz\u00f3n,<\/em><\/p>\n

no calles tu voz<\/em><\/p>\n

largo es el camino<\/em><\/p>\n

pa\u2019l que carga un dolor.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Sue\u00f1o de un amor<\/em><\/p>\n

vivimos los dos<\/em><\/p>\n

ya se ha vuelto polvo<\/em><\/p>\n

dentro del coraz\u00f3n.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

The asado<\/em> and the mate<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

When talking about food, el<\/em> asado <\/em>(barbecue) and la yerba<\/em> mate <\/em>are both crucial to the gauchos<\/em>.<\/p>\n

As cattle wranglers, their diet has consisted mainly of beef and the various ways it could be cooked outdoors on live coals. Meanwhile, the tea known as mate<\/em> has been giving a boost of much needed energy to the rural populations of the Southern Cone for generations.<\/p>\n

The idea of cooking meat on embers is so ingrained everywhere in Argentina that even urban houses come equipped with quinchos<\/em> (a place to make barbecues) in order to set up gatherings with friends and family every other weekend around deliciously grilled meat. A remnant of how gauchos <\/em>liked to gather and partake of a well-deserved meal.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Image taken from Pixabay.<\/p><\/div>\n

On the other hand, mate <\/em>is a fixture of every household. No picnic or social meeting in Argentina is complete without a thermos filled with hot water, the traditional porongo <\/em>(a calabash to drink mate <\/em>in), the bombilla <\/em>(a metal drinking straw), and a load of mate<\/em> leaves (notice that mate<\/em> could refer to the beverage itself as well as the container in which it is kept.) All those implements originated from gaucho<\/em> culture.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Image taken from Unsplash.<\/p><\/div>\n

Mart\u00edn Fierro, the quintessential gaucho<\/strong><\/p>\n

What is known as literatura gauchesca <\/em>(gaucho literature) is an established genre within Latin-American literature that attempts to recreate the way of thinking and the lifestyle of the mythical cowboys.<\/p>\n

The most famous narrative poem involving gaucho<\/em> culture is Mart\u00edn Fierro<\/em>, written by Jos\u00e9 Hern\u00e1ndez in 1872, which tells about a humble worker of the pampas<\/em> who fell victim to social injustice. So important is this character that it has been called el emblema de la argentinidad <\/em>(the emblem of Argentinean culture).<\/p>\n

\"\"

Image taken from Wikipedia, CCO.<\/p><\/div>\n

In brief, understanding the gaucho <\/em>culture is key to appreciate the cultural traits that are part of Argentina today.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

The gaucho could be defined as the Argentinean cowboy, a legendary figure well-known for their horse riding, cattle rearing, and living as a nomad of the pampas (grassy steppes). The concept of the gaucho spans hundreds of years, stemming from the colonization of the Southern Cone by the Spanish empire and the mixture of European…<\/p>\n

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