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Argentina Gauchos: Cowboys Of The South American Pampas Parade Through San Antonio De Areco

Whoa, Cowboy! Argentine Gauchos Parade Through The Streets
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Hundreds of men dressed as Argentine cowboys trotted through the streets on horseback last weekend in San Antonio de Areco, a town about 70 miles north of Buenos Aires.

Each year for the past 72 years, the 5-day festival has celebrated gaucho customs, according to the BBC.

Oswaldo Asconjaurejui, a local resident, spoke about the importance of keeping the town's traditions alive. "Advancement and progress are leaving the gaucho behind, but we have to fight to the end -- until the last breath has left us," he told the BBC in the video above.

Gauchos, often compared to North American cowboys, traditionally lived nomadic lifestyles in the South American grasslands.

San Antonio de Areco is a popular tourist destination, and reportedly attracts an increasing number of foreigners each year. Juan Pedro Colombo, the municipality's Director of Tourism, stressed the importance of utilizing the Gaucho and the horse as figures of the Argentine tradition during a meeting last week, according to the Areco Semanal, a local electronic publication.

Above, watch video from the celebrations in San Antonio de Areco. Below, see some gaucho photos!

Before You Go

Argentine Gauchos
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Gauchos and horses await beside the vineyards while Baroness Nadine de Rothschild and French businessman Laurent Dassault cut the inaugural ribbon at Flechas de los Andes winery on March 10, 2006 in Tunuyan, Mendoza, Argentina. The Flecha de los Andes is the second winery opened in the 850 hectares property of the Clos de los Siete group. (Getty) (credit:Getty)
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Argentine supporters dressed up as gauchos show posters offering to exchange euros and 'alfajores' (a South American type of candy) for tickets to the next match of Argentina, in front of Herzogs Park training camp in Herzogenaurach, on June 15, 2006. (Getty) (credit:Getty)
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A couple of gauchos wait to start a gaucho's parade during the Tradition Day, in San Antonio de Areco, 110 km from Buenos Aires, on November 11, 2007. The Tradition Day's celebration involves several activities of the gauchos, who now have much recognition and are a token of Argentine history. The gauchos played an important role during the uprising against Spain and the battles for the independence in the 18th and 19th century. (Getty) (credit:Getty)
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Gauchos prepare a barbecue during the Tradition Day, in San Antonio de Areco, 110 km from Buenos Aires, on November 11, 2007. (Getty) (credit:Getty)
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A group of gauchos wait to start in a gaucho's parade during the Tradition Day, in San Antonio de Areco, 110 km from Buenos Aires, on November 11, 2007. (Getty) (credit:Getty)
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A group of gauchos wait to start a gaucho's parade during the Tradition Day, in San Antonio de Areco, 110 km from Buenos Aires, on November 11, 2007. (Getty) (credit:Getty)
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Gauchos ride on horses in a gaucho's parade during the Tradition Day, in San Antonio de Areco, 110 km from Buenos Aires, on November 11, 2007. (Getty) (credit:Getty)
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Gauchos take a break during the Gaucho's parade during the Tradition Day, in San Antonio de Areco, 110 km from Buenos Aires, on November 11, 2007. (Getty) (credit:Getty)
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Gauchos lead their herds in a skill competition during the Tradition Day, in San Antonio de Areco, 110 km from Buenos Aires, on November 11, 2007. (Getty) (credit:Getty)
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Gauchos lead their herds in a skill competition during the Tradition Day, in San Antonio de Areco, 110 km from Buenos Aires, on November 11, 2007. (Getty) (credit:Getty)
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Gauchos attend the Gaucho's skill competition during the Tradition Day, in San Antonio de Areco, 110 km from Buenos Aires, on November 11, 2007. (Getty) (credit:Getty)
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Argentine gauchos take part in a rodeo during a traditional missionary festival in Santiago, some 270 km south of Asuncion, on February 3, 2008. (Getty) (credit:Getty)
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Gauchos that raise cattle in the foothills of the Andes, ride on horseback along a road made to keep the maintenance of the high-tension lines, on October 21, 2003 on the outskirts of Mendoza, Argentina. (Getty) (credit:Getty)
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Gauchos dance during a popular ball on January 7, 2005, the night before the pilgrimage to the sanctuary of 'Gauchito Gil,' in Mercedes, in the Argentine province of Corrientes. (Getty) (credit:Getty)
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Hundreds of gauchos carrying red flags head to the sanctuary of 'Gauchito Gil,' near Mercedes, in the Argentine province of Corrientes on January 8, 2005. (Getty) (credit:Getty)
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Female gauchos, better known as 'Chinitas', wait on their horses for the start of a gaucho's parade during the Tradition Day, in San Antonio de Areco, 110 km from Buenos Aires on November 11, 2007. (Getty) (credit:Getty)
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A gaucho rides his horse in a gaucho's parade during the Tradition Day, in San Antonio de Areco, 110 km from Buenos Aires, on November 11, 2007. (Getty) (credit:Getty)
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A little girl waves to a gaucho in a gaucho's parade during the Tradition Day, in San Antonio de Areco, 110 km from Buenos Aires, on November 11, 2007. (Getty) (credit:Getty)
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A gaucho and his daughter ride on horse in a gaucho's parade during the Tradition Day, in San Antonio de Areco, 110 km from Buenos Aires, on November 11, 2007. (Getty) (credit:Getty)
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Female gauchos, better known as 'Chinitas,' wait on their horses for the start of a gaucho's parade during the Tradition Day, in San Antonio de Areco, 110 km from Buenos Aires, on November 11, 2007. (Getty) (credit:Getty)
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A gaucho boy poses for a picture in a gaucho's parade during the Tradition Day, in San Antonio de Areco, 110 km from Buenos Aires, on November 11, 2007. (Getty) (credit:Getty)
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A gaucho rides his horse in the gaucho's parade during the Tradition Day at San Antonio de Areco, 110 km from Buenos Aires, on November 11, 2007. (Getty) (credit:Getty)
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A gaucho plays the accordion for a tip at a restaurant during the Tradition Day, in San Antonio de Areco, 110 km from Buenos Aires, on November 11, 2007. (Getty) (credit:Getty)
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A gaucho rides his horse near the route during the Tradition Day, in San Antonio de Areco, 110 km from Buenos Aires, on November 11, 2007. (Getty) (credit:Getty)
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A gaucho gets his herd together at the end of the skill competition during the Tradition Day, in San Antonio de Areco, 110 km from Buenos Aires, on November 11, 2007. (Getty) (credit:Getty)
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An Argentine gaucho, or cowboy, leads horses during the National Festival of the Calf and Cattle Branding in Ayacucho, Argentina, May 11, 2008. (AP) (credit:AP)
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An Argentine gaucho, or cowboy, rides a horse during the National Festival of the Calf and Cattle Branding in Ayacucho, Argentina, May 10, 2008. (AP) (credit:AP)
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An Argentine gaucho, or cowboy, swings his lasso during the National Festival of the Calf and Cattle Branding in Ayacucho, Argentina, May 10, 2008. (AP) (credit:AP)
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An Argentine gaucho, or cowboy, falls down from a horse as he competes during a rodeo in Jauregui, Argentina, Sunday, Aug. 22, 2010. (AP) (credit:AP)
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Higinio Fernandez, an Argentine gaucho, or cowboy, pose for pictures during a rodeo in Jauregui, Argentina, Sunday, Aug. 22, 2010. (AP) (credit:AP)
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