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Journal of Undergraduate Research

Keywords

Museo del Gaucho y la Moneda, gaucho, evolution, cattleman

College

Humanities

Department

Spanish and Portuguese

Abstract

The term gaucho refers to the national hero of Argentina and Uruguay—a once free-roaming and self-sufficient individual, roughly the equivalent of the cowboy in the United States. These heroes are of central importance to the countries they have traditionally inhabited. A quote at the entrance of the Museo del Gaucho y la Moneda in Montevideo, Uruguay reads (as translated to English) “To study the gaucho is to put your hand in the open chest of the fatherland and to touch, to feel warm and alive the beating of it’s own heart.” The gaucho is an intriguing and multifaceted figure with staunch ideals but ever-evolving characteristics.

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