Ride ém, Gaucho!

It´s funny how the image of the cowboy has somehow captured the fancy of people all around the world. There is definitely some sort of romantic image conjured up by many people when they think of home on the range. For the better part of the 20th century, young boys and girls in Germany were raised on books by Karl May all about the glories of cowboys and Indians. Ironically, Herr May never made it out of downtown Frankfurt but that didn´t stop him from writing very popular children´s books.

Well, the cowboy mystique is alive and well in Uruguay. The gaucho, Uruguay´s cowboy, is viewed as a romantic idealist. Jose Artigas, after leading the country to independence in the 1820´s, promptly walked away from it all to go back to his ranch and lead the life of a gaucho. He reminds me a little bit of Gary Cooper in High Noon. OK, folks, I´ve saved the town. Now I´m off to my rancho with Grace Kelly (not a bad fate!!). To honor his gaucho leanings, Artigas, the father of his country, is frequently portrayed on horseback.

The gaucho wears a cowboy hat, but a very abbreviated one, certqainly not a Mexican sombrero or a Texas 10 gallon hat. He wears a neckerchief but very loose. The gaucho comes complete with many other trappings that migrated across the Atlantic from Spain, such as spurs, silver belt buckles, chaps, a riding crop, and even the guitar to accompany him on corny cowboy songs just like in the western U.S.

He wears a 6 shooter of course. But more important, he also carries a bolo. If you remember from childhood, the bolo is 2 balls at the end of cords, one being just a bit longer than the other one. The gaucho gets them spinning in opposite directions and then throws it at rabbits or wild fowl, thereby saving ammunition and showing off his prowess with the bolo. The gaucho acquired this ingenious weapon from the indigenous people who lived here. ("Son of a gun, Slim, those primitive heathens are pretty smart.") Likewise, after a hard day´s work throwing bolo balls, the gaucho relaxed with a gourd of herbal tea, another trick he picked up from the natives.

Today, an amazing number of Uruguayans carry around their maté gourd, herbal tea, and a thermos of hot water. There are signs in cafes saying "We´ll refill your thermos with hot water." They even make these spiffy leather carrying cases for schlepping everything around. The gourd holds the tea leaves. The drinker drinks the tea through a metal straw that has a strainer at the bottom of it. Apparently, among friends, it´s consider the thing to do to pass around the maté gourd, and everyone drinks from the same straw! It´s a little ironic because maté is supposed bo be a mild stimulant. Except, most Uruguayans are so laid back, it´s difficult to believe that the maté has an affect! Montevideo actually has a museum donated to the gaucho. If you´re ever here, its worth a visit.

In the meantime, the Uruguayans have picked up on the popularity of the gaucho. They now have the equivalent of dude ranches called "estancias" and you can make arrangements with a travel agent to spend several days with your fellow gaucharoos humming along to Spanish cowboy songs, going on trail rides, etc.

Bye for now!