Gaucho culture
In the eastern Yungas, gauchos continue their ancestral cattle-herding way of life: cows roam semi-freely through the jungle.
On roadsides or deep in the forest, travellers sometimes come across one of these gauchos on his criollo horse with his guardamontes, searching for stray cattle.
The Pachamama of the gauchos
Every August, the Pachamama ritual takes place in every village of the Yungas.
The ceremony: a hole is dug in the earth, and each family member takes turns placing an offering to attract the Pachamama's blessing on the coming harvests. Each guest pours a few drops of wine, coca leaves and a lit cigarette into the ground.
Among the gauchos: all the year's calves are rounded up in the corral. The gauchos catch each animal with a lasso and brand them. Friends and neighbours gather around a great asado where traditional songs fill the air.
Patron saint festivals
Once a year, each village celebrates its patron saint.
The programme includes: a fanfare parade of gauchos, tractors and folk processions, followed by a communal feast and horseback skill games — the piolesca gauchesca.
The evening ends with a traditional dance.
