In the extreme south of Brazil is located Rio Grande do Sul state. It’s a place with a strong rural tradition, which for its agricultural and cattle production has been considered the barn of Brazil. Its geography, and especially its climate and its history, makes this state a little different to the classical image of Brazil. The culture and the customs of its people are more close to those of the neighboring Uruguayans and Argentineans than that of their compatriots in tropical latitudes. The embodiment of these traditions is the gaúcho, or gaudério, (gaucho to the Spanish-speaking neighbors). The gaúcho is a kind of cowboy. The term was originated as a designation for those who ventured capturing the wild cattle that multiply by the extensive and virtually uninhabited green plains that spread by the Uruguayan territory, and some areas in Brazil and Argentina, know as pampas. Later these men, experts on working with animals, have been absorbed by the farms, which divided and brought the fences to the region. At least but not at last, it is good to remember that these men also served as valiant soldiers in the many wars and revolutions which have shaken the region from all sides of their, at that time, uncertain borders, until the first decades of this century.

Curiously, the most relevant conflict involving the Brazilian gaúchos was precisely against Brazil itself, or to be more precise against Imperial Brazil. In the first half of the nineteenth century, the state, inspired by the republican movements that changed France and North America, decided to stop that situation of near-exploitation by the central government and decided to proclaim its independence. Ten years of bloody conflicts have been past before an agreement put an end to what is known as Guerra dos Farrapos. In this case the blood and tears were not in vain. A seed was well planted and some years later all Brazil became a republic. Nowadays the 20th of September, day in which was proclaimed the Rio-Grandense Republic, is one of the most important dates of the state’s calendar and serves not only to remember the event itself but also as a celebration of an entire culture.

It was on celebration of this date, in a little town called Manoel Viana, that touched by the pride and joy of those wearing traditional costumes, I’ve made the images of this collection. Note the cares with the ornaments are extended to the horses, considered, around there, men’s, or at least countrymen’s best friend. Just as a curiosity, currently the term gaúcho is also a gentile adjective referring to everything and everyone who came from Rio Grande do Sul, even if it isn’t, just like myself, much of a horseback rider.