Today was the start of our weekend in Buenos Aires, and we spent the day on Don Silvano Ranch. After about an hour and a half bus ride, we were welcomed into the beautiful ranch, and immersed in a new style of living in Argentina. We were first given empanadas at the reception, and walked around a little bit on the ranch. Afterwards, we were given time to explore the other areas. We were all entranced by all the different animals that we saw that were taken care of by the staff. There were so many different horses, chickens, sheep, and birds that we were able to interact with and learn about. We also got to go around on a carriage ride which was such a fun adventure.

We then had a talk about the history of the Gaucho, which are cowboys of Argentina. Gaucho culture is a major part of Argentine history, and was started in the 19th century. Gaucho’s are cowboys who pride themselves on independence, horsemanship skills, and resourcefulness on their ranches. These values align with most that founded Argentine culture, and often serve the symbol of masculinity. Gaucho culture was very well integrated with that of Argentina as they served a major purpose in fighting the wars of independence and helped to create a lot of products that make up Argentine history. Gaucho culture has started to turn more into performances or shows to show their history, and people travel from all over the world to come learn about them. 

After our history lesson we were treated to an amazing lunch that was filled with different types of meats and dishes from Argentine culture. The food was amazing and we just kept getting served different things. Our lunch was also accompanied by an amazing performance that included vocals and dancing. The artist leading the musical performance had an amazing voice, and filled the room with his presence. At this ranch, they also acknowledge and appreciate the different countries of the people who were in attendance by singing songs of their culture and talking about them as well. We also were invited up to dance during a lot of the songs where we got to practice tango again, and have a great time with everyone around us. Tomorrow we are going on a walking tour of a new neighborhood, so stay tuned for pictures of that!