Heroes On Horseback (click to read an excerpt from this book by John Charles Chasteen)
'Puppets' and 'Puppet Masters' of the Revolution
The Gauchos were a nomads who rode through the plains of La Plata on horseback. Similarities can be drawn between them and the "cowboys" of North America. As somewhat uncivilzed country folk, they drank, gambled, and enjoyed a good fight. This was why they made perfect war "puppets" for the Caudillos.
The Caudillos were cunning and ruthless revolutionaries who believed in decentralizing government. This meant that they wanted each province to operate under separate governments. As the "puppet masters," they used the Gauchos to defeat the royalists. The battle in the image below ousted dictator Joan Martín Pueyrredón.
The Caudillos were cunning and ruthless revolutionaries who believed in decentralizing government. This meant that they wanted each province to operate under separate governments. As the "puppet masters," they used the Gauchos to defeat the royalists. The battle in the image below ousted dictator Joan Martín Pueyrredón.