Everyone knows the Argentine gaucho. A man, alone with his horse, riding through the country side, fighting, smoking, sleeping under the stars. That’s what most people think when they hear the word.
Meet General Martín Miguel de Güemes.The man who lead the gauchos against colonial forces to pave the way to Argentine Independence. On June 17th to honor the death of Guemes, thousands of people on horseback make their way to the Guemes monument in the center of town. They parade past a sitting group of dignitaries as crowds of people wait, eat empanadas, light bonfires and sing folclórico.
But it’s not the men who interest me. You can find a gaucho anywhere. It’s the gauchas and the gauchititos who capture my attention.
Here in this country where horse culture reigns supreme, where learning to ride a horse is the next natural step after learning to walk and talk, it’s the women on horseback who catch my eye. Children sit patiently on their father’s shoulders patiently watching the horses, the people dancing, the soldiers, policement and firemen march in the parade. The women who don colonial brightly colored dresses sway along in a dance that mixes the local and European traditions. Young girls practiced hands guide enormous heaving horses through the campo along the paved Salta city streets all the way to the monument that carries the name of the man who led the gauchos in battle.
These are the details of Guemes day that interest me.
For more photos of Guemes day check out my photo essay When horses filled the streets instead of cars on Medium. There are some great ones there, too. Like the dog dressed in jeans, horses pissing on the streets and chorizo smoke surrounding thousands of horses and riders on the streets of Salta, Argentina.
