Diario las Américas., 1958-01-24
Know thy
Nei9hborI
BY RUIZ

ARGENTINA -(Continued)-
Speeding over the pampa from
BuenoS Aires to Mendoza in a
luxurious express train, today's
travellers find it hard to believe
that less than a century ago this
same journey was an ardouS and
dangerous trek of more than two
weeks, made in high-wheeled "ga-
leras" or covered wagons, in cons.
tant danger of attacks from In
dams and bandits. About all that
remains unchanged on the pampa
today, are the squat ~"ombues",
purple thistle, and the "pampero",
wild wind which whips the gras-
Stands into turbulent motion.
Gone are the .old-time gauchos,
those nomadic plainsmen of Spa
nish or mestizo blood, who rode
like the wind, untamed, like the
wild horses and cattle they hunt
ed with their "boleadoraS", a type
OF laso originated by the Indians,
with two weighted ends. Theirs
was a hard life, as well as a lonely
one; their only bed the wide ''re-
cado" or saddle, and their blanket
the i%nseparable poncho. Their
daily fare was "carne aSada" (gri-
lied fresh beef) and "mate", Pa.
raguayan tea which is slipped
through a silver tube from a hol-
lowed gourd. More "at home" in
the saddle than out of it, they
could ride 100 miles in twelve
hourSe on their small but strong
horses.
These trail blazers of the plain,
bronco busters and rangers, we're
also courageous fighters. In the
wal of independence, gaucho ca
valry helped to defeat the Spa
niardS. They fought off Indians
also, and made the pampa their
domain. With a passion for liberty
and in defiance of authority, they
fought on to preserve their own
freedom against the civilizing and
unifying influences of Buenos
Aires and other cities. But the
proud plainsmen fought a losing
battle, against the division of free
land into immense "estancias",
against barbed wire fences and
railroads, hords of farm i'm
migrants from Europe, and the po-
litical authority of the Nation. The
gaucho has passed into a legend,
but his martial and romantic Spi-
rit is immortalized in literature,
dances, and music comprising Ar
gentina's most fascinating folklore.
The modern gauchos, or cowboys,
one see on the estancias today,
preserve the typical costume of
their predecessors, the baggy
"bombachas" or wide pants, short
boots and spurs, black felt SOM
brero and poncho. Likewise, they
r magnificent riders, skillful
with the lasso and in the handling
of cattle. They have their "asa-
dos' or barbecues and their fies-
tas, where one may hear the tango,
the "vidalita" and the "triste",
those melancholy love songs which
long ago took their melody an
rhythm from the loneliness of the
pampa ands the Looping gait of the
gaucho.
Argentina's domestic t%ransporta.
ton facilities. including airlines,
railroads., buses and steamship
lines, are the most extensive in
South America. Modern equip
ment is being bought now to res
tore comfortable transportation to
any part of the country. All main
routes radiate from Buenos Aires,
The five principal railroads, 60
vernment owned, connect the chief
cities and resorts of each Province
with Buenos Aires. Totalling about
$4,000 miles of track, the coun'
try's railway network is mainly
concentrated in the provinces OF
Buenos Aires, Cordoba, and Santa
Fe. Southern Patagonia, the terri
tories of Chubut and Santa Cruz
are the only ones in the country
not connected by rail to the natio'
nal capital.
Spanish Version Page 8