In the Footsteps of Gauchos
Among the old guard of Patagonia’s cowboys
In a corner of Chile’s southern wilderness, a rider appears among the green-gold grass and grey Andes mountains. He wears a woolen boina beret, high leather boots, and is followed by a string of shiny-coated ponies. He sits on his dark horse like a river moves over a stone. Behind the small herd, another rider follows; a black dog bounds in the periphery.
Patagonia’s gaucho cowboys live a life of freedom, nature, and solitude. Not a relic, or a show, these philosophical wanderers and animal caretakers choose a simple, hard life on the steppeland. For our clients who stay at a carefully selected handful of private estancias, or ranches, there’s the opportunity to meet these wanderers firsthand and, should you wish, saddle up yourself.
Gaucho history is rooted in 18th-century horse culture and cattle trade, as skilled cowboys took up the call to wrangle livestock across present-day Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay. As time rolled into the following century, much of the wild pampas grasslands shifted to fenced estancias, sprawling ranches thousands of acres wide, home to cattle and sheep. Much like North America’s cowboys, the gauchos lived on the edge of modern-day comings and goings.
This living culture is still intact at places like Estancia Cerro Guido, a comfortable family-owned working ranch spanning more than 172,000 acres at the foot of the Paine Massif in Chilean Patagonia. Here, we gain deeper insight into gaucho culture every day. That might mean a deep dive into traditional hand-braided leatherwork, touching the worn-smooth textures adorning gauchos’ horse tack, dog collars, and facón knives and tools. Or, it could mean talking with a gaucho about the gentle art of sheep-shearing by hand, smelling the warm scent of wool amid the bleating of ewes and lambs.
Should we opt for a hike, we’ll learn about the distinction of the baqueano, a specialist tracker in wild terrain who can often be part of gaucho culture. (Today, this tracking takes on a crucial role in biodiversity: the team at Cerro Guido have partnered with the big-cat conservation nonprofit Panthera to lead puma ecotourism in the region, advocating for peaceful human-animal coexistence to protect wild mountain lions as well as local livelihoods.)
Hundreds of miles north, estancias such as Estancia La Oriental and Relais & Chateaux member La Bamba de Areco celebrate gaucho culture in intimate fashion—especially cuisine. We’ll take our place by the fire at an asado flame-grilled meal for succulent cuts of steak, costillar (ribs), chorizo, and plenty more, paired with Malbec red wine. (As the crow flies, we’re not too far from the country’s famed wine region, Mendoza, also the early stomping grounds of internationally acclaimed chef Francis Mallmann. This culinary icon’s entire ethos of open-fire cooking is rooted in gaucho gastronomic heritage.)
In the days that follow, we’ll curate other fantastic gaucho-led activities that haunt us in their sincerity: horseback riding excursions for travelers of all experience levels, fire-cooking classes, preparing and sharing herbal mate tea, and learning about the intentional attire that’s a deep part of gaucho identity, from the pleated bombacha trousers to the silver belt buckle and spurs. One evening, we might be lucky enough to pass a sunset at an informal ruedo—a gathering that can swing from gaiety to somber musing and back again in a wild, unpredictable way. Under the Patagonian stars, what happens here can’t be prescribed.
