When you study Spanish in Argentina, you may have the opportunity to visit an estancia, or ranch. On these ranches, you can find where gauchos live and work.
The word gaucho means “cowboy” and actually comes from a Quecha word “huachu” meaning vagabond and/or orphan. Traditionally, these men raised cattle in Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil.
Historically, gauchos were loners that traveled on horseback and lived off the land. They captured and tamed wild horses, tracked down cattle that were lost and made money selling cattle hides and tallow. Sometimes they also provided military service, protecting the patrons who hired them to do so. While the gauchos had wives and families, they usually didn’t spend much time at home. In fact, they often didn’t come home for months at a time. The gaucho’s wives were called chinas, were very poor and tended to live a very hard life.
The gauchos could be recognized by their clothes, which included a wide hat, poncho made out of wool and baggy pants. They also wore big leather boots that were made by wrapping the leather around their legs. They tended to have few possessions aside from their horse, a sharp knife and a boleadora or lariat. Often they just slept outside under the stars, using their saddle for a pillow.