Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
9
GETTING TO GRIPS WITH GAÚCHO LIFE
During the colonial era and well into the nineteenth century, the southern and western
frontiers of
Rio Grande do Sul
were ill-defined, with Portugal and Spain, and then
independent Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay, maintaining garrisons to assert their claims
to the region. Frontier clashes were frequent, with central government presence weak or
non-existent. If anyone could maintain some measure of control over these border territories
it was the
gaúchos
, the fabled horsemen of southern South America. The product of
miscegenation between the Spanish, Portuguese, indigenous tribes and escaped slaves, the
gaúchos
wandered the region on horseback, either individually or in small bands, making a
living by hunting wild cattle for their hides. Alliances were formed in support of local
caudilhos
(chiefs), who fought for control of the territory on behalf of the flag of one or other competing
power. With a reputation for being tough and fearless, the
gaúcho
was also said to be
supremely callous - displaying the same indifference in slitting a human or a bullock's throat.
As the nineteenth century ended, so too did the
gaúcho
's traditional way of life. International
boundaries were accepted, and landowners were better able to exert control over their
properties. Finally, as fencing was introduced and rail lines arrived,
cattle
turned into an
industry, with the animals raised rather than hunted. Gradually
gaúchos
were made redundant,
reduced to the status of mere
peões
or cattle hands.
Still, more in Rio Grande do Sul than in Argentina, some
gaúcho
traditions persist; in small
villages, horses are not only a tool used to herd cattle, but remain an essential means of
transport. While women are no differently dressed than in the rest of Brazil, men appear in
much the same way as their
gaúcho
predecessors: in
bombachas
(baggy trousers), linen shirt,
kerchief, poncho and felt-rimmed hat, shod in pleated boots and fancy spurs. Your best chance
of getting a feel of the interior is to attend a
rodeio
, held regularly in towns and villages
throughout
gaúcho
country. Local tourist o
ces or hotels will have information about when
and where
rodeios
are due to take place.
A good place to soak up
gaúcho
culture is
Bagé
, near the Argentine border, a charming
place full of stately late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century buildings, which remains first
and foremost a cattle and commercial centre. Ideally, though, you should stay at a
working
estância
in the surrounding pampas:
Fazenda Palomas
T
55 3242 2551,
W
fazendapalomas.com.
For an authentic
gaúcho
experience, visit this farm 20km from Santana do
Livramento, with the access road at Km 480 of BR-158
in the direction of Porto Alegre. Founded in 1897, the
10-square-kilometre
fazenda
receives visitors during the
daytime for horse riding or to participate in cattle round-
ups and other daily activities. It's possible to stay the
night in
one of
the three comfortable guest rooms (full
board).
R$400
São Borja
Today a fairly major border crossing point and regional trading centre,
SÃO BORJA
is
best known in the rest of Brazil as the birthplace of two of the country's most
controversial presidents:
Getúlio Vargas
and
João Goulart
, aka “Jango”.
Museu Getúlio Vargas
Av Presidente Vargas 1772 • Tues-Sat 9am-noon & 2-5pm, Sun 9am-noon • Free •
T
55 3430 4293
In São Borja, if nowhere else in Brazil, the populist Getúlio
Vargas remains a venerated
figure, and his former home, built in 1910, is now open to the public as the
Museu
Getúlio Vargas
, containing his library, personal objects and furniture. His blood-stained
bed sheets - preserved after he committed suicide - are also (rather morbidly)
displayed. Note that a huge restoration was ongoing at the time of writing.
Memorial João Goulart
Presidente Vargas 2033 • Tues-Sat 9am-noon & 2-5pm, Sun 9am-noon • Free
The hapless João
Goulart, whose presidency led to the military's seizure of power in
1964, is commemorated at the
Memorial João Goulart
, the former Goulart family
home, completed in 1927. Further along the same avenue lies leafy Praça XV de
