The four-wheel drive car was speeding over a muddy path, still soaked from the rain in the last days. It was unpassable by regular vehicles. We were on our way into the Pampas, the southern grasslands of South America. Shawn invited us to his Estancia, a livestock ranch in the Buenos Aires area, for the weekend. While driving along endless crop fields, he mentioned in passing that the land boundary just began somewhere at this point down the road. As somebody who was grown up in densely populated South-West Germany, the vast scale of everything felt special. Horses were running around in broad paddocks, several football fields in size. It appeared as if they were roaming freely, with no fence far and wide. Finally, we reached the house – the heart of the Estancia.
Until the 1950s, Argentina’s economy was thriving, and, at peak times, Argentina was the 7th wealthiest nation in the world. The house made the former glory sensible. It had pinnacles around the roof and a veranda in the front. Although parts appeared worn down here and there, one could imagine the prosperous past. An older lady took care of us and the house. She takes care of the house and guests full-time, serving breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, and dinner. Her son is the Gaucho (the Argentinian cowboy) of the Estancia. In the past, Gauchos cared for the land and cattle in exchange for settlement and some share of the produced goods. This can still be a practice today. Many Estancieros live in South American or European Cities, while overseers manage their estates. Shawn and his family showed us around his Estancia via traditional horseback riding. Our forthcoming visitor tour did not amuse the otherwise free horses, so it took some time to saddle them up.
We galloped around endless fields of crops that all belonged to the Estancia. These vast land accumulations by single families originated in the 18th century when large ranchers extended their control over land, water, and cattle. Consequently, at the beginning of the 20th century, circa three hundred families owned most of the Argentinean Pampas fenced into the form of Estancias. Reminiscent of medieval European power exercised by feudal nobles, Argentina became a land of aristocratic landowners. They had significant political influence and economic power, creating abuse and conflict over territory with smaller ranchers and indigenous people. Today, many traditional families still own and manage Estancias. Although the production shifted from breeding cattle to exporting soy in the last century, cattle are still a significant business. So, back at the Estancia, a traditional Argentinian Asado (BBQ) with lots of fine beef rounded off the day. At that moment, it was very understandable why narratives portrayed the life of Gauchos as free and adventurous. Our visit was a glimpse into the past of a turbulent and often glorified period in Argentina’s History.
