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I'm flying over the pampas at the moment. The plane just left Claudia's
ranch and we're headed to Buenos Aires for a few days. Flying over a
patchwork of fields, the 'fertile triangle' of east central Argentina, where
the land bulges out into the Atlantic. Black soil, deep and productive. We
can see the Atlantic ocean off to the south and east - a deep dark blue. And
a golden line of dunes stretches along the coast, as far as one can see -
from the ranch where we took to the air, south towards Patagonia, north to
Pinamar, Mar del Plata and eventually Buenos Aries - a long sandy coastline.
The Atlantic coast of Argentina is beautiful. But largely devoid of natural
ports - few places for ships to harbor. And the history of this part of
South America is quite unique.

A little history -

While Spain and Portugal and the other powers of Europe were at the peak of
their explorations and exploitation of the Americas, during the 17th and
18th centuries, this part of the world was largely ignored. The lands of
Central America and northern South America, including the mineral rich
regions of Peru, Bolivia, and northern Argentina were accessible from the
Atlantic, and the native people there proved easy to conquer. Gold and
silver, easy for the taking. Buenos Aires was an insignificant port during
most of this time.

The Spaniards first managed to gain a foothold on Argentine soil in
1536. An expedition led by Pedro de Mendoza found portage in the mouth
of the Rio Del Plata. A small settlement was established - Puerto de
Nuestra Senora Santa Maria del Buen Aire. A handful of men and a
handful of Spanish horses, Sevillan horses. In 1541 the Spanish
settlement was attacked, and the men fled by sea, north to
Paraguay. They left behind nothing, except a few horses. Seven horses,
so the story goes. The horses of Argentina, the horses of the
pampas. Vast expanses of grass, no natural predators. Nothing but to
thrive and reproduce.

During the winter of 1580, the Spaniards returned, this time they were led
by Juan de Garay, well fortified and prepared to conquer and to hold. Buenos
Aires. For the next three centuries the pampas grasslands of Argentina and
the more barren lands of Patagonia remained largely unchanged, primarily
populated only by the settlement of Buenos Aires, the various tribes of
native Indians, and the Gaucho.

By the 18th century contraband smugglers of Buenos Aires were trading
successfully with Portuguese and British vessels (Spain had forbidden Buenos
Aires to conduct commercial trade with other countries) and in 1776 Buenos
Aires became the capital of the new Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata -
Spain was losing it's grip on Argentina. In May of 1810, Argentina declared
independence from Spain, and finally in 1816 Spain granted independence to
the new nation. But another century passed before Buenos Aires really began
to grow and the pampas was transformed from open expanses of grasslands to
the fenced and managed Estancias. The small port of Santa Maria de Buenos
Aires was becoming a city. Europeans were becoming attracted to the
wonderful climate and new opportunities for farming and ranching that the
fertile land provided.

In 1879, the 'Conquest of the Desert' resolved the final barrier to
expansion - the final barrier - the native people. The Indians of the pampas
and Patagonia were tough and mobile. They had the horses, they knew the
land, they knew the keys to survival on the vast expanses, and they proved
much more difficult to conquer than the peoples of the northern provinces.
But they had no firearms, they had no guns. Their primary weapons were
knives, spears and boleadora, no match for the rifle. Eventually the natives
were conquered, and tamed or relocated. Soon  the grasslands were divided up
and deeded to the gentry, to the friends of the goverment, to the select
few.

Today Buenos Aires is the largest city in Argentina, very cosmopolitan, very
European. 14 million people, one third of the population of Argentina. And
the pampas produces corn, soya, sunflower, cattle, sheep and horses. Always
the horses.

The history of Argentina is fascinating - there are similarities to our own
history and to the settling and eventual independence of North America - to
the last frontiers (our western lands, the pampas grasslands) - to the final
campaigns between the cavalry and the Indians, opening the land up for
expansion and settlement. But where North America was settled by opportunity
(if you can take it and make it and hold it, it's yours), Argentina was
gifted to the gentry and monied people. There is a stark class difference
here, the wealthy and landed people, and the peones - those that never have
and never will own land.

But - of all the cultural and historical aspects of Argentina that I've seen
so far, nothing has captured my imagination and delight like the Guacho -
the art, history, culture - it's rich and beautiful and has the allure of
the wild and the flavor of the native people. The 'cowboy' of South America,
the independent soul, a mixture of Spanish and Indian blood, who preferred a
free life on the land, with no tether.

next - the Gaucho, and the Fiesta de Tropillas

Steph




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