La Feria de Mataderos – The Gaucho Fair

If you are not going to visit an estancia (ranch) to see the gauchos, then you can see them right in the west-end of Buenos Aires.

In a very peculiar corner of Buenos Aires, La Feria de Mataderos (Mataderos Fair) opens during summer and fall on Sundays from 11:00 am to 7:00 pm, and offers a feast of handicraft and Argentine popular traditions.

Visitors may enjoy a colorful festival of music and dance, and see a number of typical gaucho skills, such as sortija races, demonstrations of roping and shearing.

In addition, there are traditional games for adults and children, including contests and prizes, such as the game of  sapo, horseshoe tossing, sack races, palo enjabonado and more.

Regional food is also present. Try delicious treats such as asado, chori, locro, empanadas, tamales, tortas fritas and tortilla al rescoldo. A quick tip: if you are eating empanadas de carne (meat empanadas) be sure to spread you legs or you will get stains all over your pants.

You can also get regional crafts (some even made before your own eyes) such as ponchos, boleadoras, woodwork, puppets and more, or even purchase antiques at any of the dozen of stands along the fair. Prices are reasonable.

If you are in the mood for dancing, just follow the sound of music, as a live bandplays sambas and milongas while a number of passer-by spontaneously join-in the dance and a crown of people just watch and clap to the rhythm of music.

All the cultural aspects that every province in Argentina have in common are here: artisans, crafts, music, dance, food, and tradition. One thing though is that it is not easy to get there. Be sure to get the right directions or just get a radio-taxi to take you there.

Check out this cool video…

Photo credit: http://imagenactual.blogspot.com/