The Gaucho Life and Class Conflict

Chúcaro: Wild Pony of the Pampa goes out of its way to describe the life of the gaucho, or South American cowboy. Located in the Pampa, the prairie area between the Andes and the Atlantic Ocean in Argentina, the gauchos largely herds livestock, including cows, pigs, sheep and so on. The gaucho community lives a relatively austere life but they do not seem to mind it. Instead, they focus more on companionship, communion with nature, hard work, and song. Juan is the gaucho archetype for the book: quiet, aloof, loyal, courageous and honest.

However, the gaucho's life is bound up in the economic life of the estancia, or the ranch. Estancias consist of hundreds of smaller farms and herds. The estancia is typically owned by someone with a much different life from the gaucho—the estanciero, or patrón. Typically from...