Photo Gallery

The great rivers that run through Patagonia have their source in the Andes. The gradient is gentle, and the watercourses take their time before pouring into the Atlantic Ocean. But in the rainy season, when the storms rage in the peaks of the Cordillera, the rivers swell. Then floods threaten people, animals and crops. The inhabitants of both banks use the many fords as river crossings. The photograph shows a scene that used to be characteristic of life in the pampas, but is becoming increasingly rare today as a result of Argentina's economic development: A herd of four hundred Hereford cattle is being driven through the Río Alumine (Neuquén province) and taken to the next estancia. These transports are increasingly carried out with the help of trucks, at least where bridges allow the rapid crossing of Patagonia's rivers and streams. - 1973

A gaucho from the Campo Alegre estancia approaches us. He crosses the grassy plain of the province of Salta. The lasso and the guardamontes are made of leather. These last pieces protect the rider's legs from the thorny bushes that grow in this desert region of Argentina. His red woollen poncho shows a black band that was added by the weavers as a sign of mourning at the death of the caudillo Martin Miguel de Güemes, a native of the province of Salta. The bolas are hardly used today because of the accidents they caused, but they are present in the gaucho's saddle. - 1973