Huaso

Two horseback riding in Concepción, early 1900.

The term huaso (also guaso, according to the Royal Spanish Academy) is used in Chile to refer to the individual who lives mainly in its central zone and is dedicated to the typical tasks of the old haciendas of the central valley and the coast of that area. By extension, this name refers to the peasants of that area, being used as an adjective to indicate characteristics of the center and part of the south of Chile, such as "huasa culture" or "Rancagua, huasa city".

It arose in the Kingdom of Chile during the colonial era of the Spanish Empire (1558-1810), descending from the Spanish Andalusian culture. He is homologous to the American horsemen: Ecuadorian chagra, Peruvian chalan, Mexican charro, Uruguayan, Argentine and Brazilian gaucho, Colombian and Venezuelan llanero, and American cowboy. However, the work of the Chilean huaso —unlike those mentioned— is not limited exclusively to livestock, but encompasses other peasant activities, such as agriculture.

The patron and gañán subcultures have been detached. She is the rider in the Chilean rodeo, a "national sport of Chile", and who dances the cueca, the "national dance of Chile". The woman is called huasa or china, these characters being the prototypes of national identity, the chilenidad. The huasos clubs are sociocultural organizations in charge of disseminating this culture at a national level, governed by the National Federation of Rodeos and Huasos Clubs of Chile. Since 2010, every September 17 the "Día del Huaso y de la Chilenidad" is celebrated. sells typical Chilean food, in addition to organizing peasant games and other activities—, among others.

Etymology

A position held by the German folklorist Rodolfo Lenz and other authors is that both «huaso» and «gaucho» come from the Quechua term wakcha, which means 'poor' or 'orphan', and from It also derives from the Chilean term "guacho", widely used in the past, which refers to an illegitimate child (born out of wedlock). Another theory points out that it comes from Quechua and that it would mean "loin" or 'haunches of beasts'. The term huasu would have been used to refer to horsemen, later being extended to all those who carried out agricultural work mounted on a horse.

An opinion that has gained strength in recent years indicates that both the word «guaso» and «gaucho» would have Hispanic roots, specifically originating in Andalusia, where the lack of grace is called «huasa»; to excess of grace, "joker"; and the peasant who would also have been the etymon of the word gaucho: "gacho". The combination of these three words would have originated the term "huaso" to refer to the Chilean country man.

Origin

The Spanish colonizers strongly influenced the customs and traditions present in the central zone of Chile since the 17th century, which has a Mediterranean climate like Andalusia, which led to cultural miscegenation, since Spanish had to be integrated into the customs of the natives to live together. This is how the encomienda arose during the 16th century, which was the allocation of a quantity of land and indigenous people over which the Spanish soldier had control. This coexistence produced a mestizo race essentially between Andalusians and Picunches. Considering its historical origin and racial elements that gave rise to the mestizo and that are the ancestral elements of the huaso such as a Spanish father, but not any of those who arrived during the Colony, but Andalusians with an indigenous mother and grandmother, added to the environment in which that develops his life and the agricultural activity to which he is dedicated, the huaso could be defined as an enriched mestizo ascendant and of rural life.

Patterns and butlers in 1903.

The ascending mestizo took the customs and idiosyncrasies of the Spanish father, rather than the indigenous mother. He lived with his father or protected by him, attached to a piece of land, or with his mother who performed domestic duties in the Spaniard's house. He was raised in a Spanish environment, hearing and speaking his language, knowing and practicing his Catholic religion, that is, acquiring his habits; over the years he became an individual born in Chile assimilated to Spanish, who had little or nothing to do with the indigenous, blended with the paternal lineage. The social structure was determined by the hacienda between the 17th and 19th centuries, with the bosses, butlers, tenants and laborers. The huasos gañanes emigrated to the cities looking for a better quality of life during the 19th and 20th centuries, transmuted into rotos, who settled on the periphery and due to the human development of Chile prior to the 21st century, they became guachacas.

Features

Common

Old huasa dress, drawing of 1843.

The huaso is associated with the geographical zones of the transversal valleys and the so-called intermediate depression of the central and southern zones of Chile, between the Valparaíso Region in the north and the Los Lagos Region in the south. He wears clothing of average quality, which has varied from colonial times to today. In the past, when the use of the horse was a general use of the population, the clothing of the huaso was only distinguished by a thick blanket and one of the Chilean bonnets (colchagüino, huicano or maulino) —a hat with a truncated cone top, short brim and of rudimentary manufacture—while her companion wore an ordinary dress, "simple" in comparison to the pompous ball gowns of the day.

Huasos dancing cueca in 2014.

The typical male costume includes a traditional chupalla —hat made of achupalla—, a checkered shirt, a huaso blanket, a huaso sash —10 centimeters wide, loom-woven wool, normally red or another strong color for coat and finished in long fringes at both ends for its agitation during the huasas dances. It is long and wraps around the waist several times—, cashmere pants, two corral leggings, two corralero boots, and two Chilean spurs when they ride a Chilean horse on a Chilean mount that holds a Chilean lasso, while the female consists of a dress from china, originated from the Andalusian, and two china shoes. At present, the attire of folkloric representations has come to have two forms, both for the huaso and for his partner: the formal or elegant dress, typical of parties or special occasions, and the common or traditional one, associated with daily peasant work in the fields.

The men generally have short hair and are shaved or wear the huaso mustache —short in length, the same length as the lips and vertical edges. They live in a large house, have fun in ramadas and dance the traditional cueca. They always wear a white handkerchief, a complement to the cueca, and a cacho —bull's horn decorated for the intake of chicha de uva, a habit known as “chicha en cacho”—. In cold weather, they wear a short-brimmed black hat made of felt and a poncho made of wool.

Pattern

In the folkloric presentations based on historical accounts and records, huasos appear with high-quality festival clothing originating from the Andalusian, which are called patrones de fundo or elegant huasos, consisting of a fine chupalla, sash of huaso on the belt, white or checkered shirt, a short corralera jacket of white or black suit, fine gray striped pants in black and black boots; His clothing is adorned with a finely woven chamanto in solid colors and, for the best look, two saddlery items: corral leggings —leather, generally with leather fringes and buckles— and spurs.

The woman is called a huasa, she wears a braid and a huasa outfit, consisting of a two-piece Catalan-type outfit, with a long skirt with white trimmings, covered by a corralera jacket and a robe, generally black — clothing to protect him from the sweat of the horse—, a white nightgown, high black boots, and a hat similar to that of the man with a shorter brim. Castilian blanket. They live in a manor house, have fun in galas, dance cueca de salón and occasionally travel by carriage. Their character is presumptuous, individualistic and conservative.

Currently they are associated with the upper class (socioeconomic level AB), being homologous to the urban cuicos. Generally, they have a higher education degree and are sympathizers of the political right. Famous members have been Alberto Cardemil, Carlos Cardoen and Alfredo Moreno, as well as.

Winner

Giants resting in 1944.

In performances of the rural traditions of the 19th and early 20th centuries, huasos with low-quality common clothing appear —also called “huaso de gañán”, referring to the man dedicated to rough agricultural work—, which consists of a chupalla simple, ordinary shirt, dark-colored rolled-up pants and flip flops —a kind of sandals made by hand from leather or tire rubber—; equipped for peasant work, they wear leggings, spurs and a thick belt with a large buckle and, as an accessory at the waist, a chicotera, a curved or parralino type knife, and a cholero —a small tin container with a handle in arc-shaped, used to drink hot infusions. He rides a Chilean wagon and is accompanied by the working and utility dog Dogo Chileno. He holds a class D driver's license to operate tractors, planters, and harvesters.

The woman is called china and wears a flowery one-piece skirt-suit, with a white apron rich in lace, her hair tied up in a tomato bun, and square-heeled shoes. She is employed in the haciendas or seasonal worker —seasonal harvester—, who uses a parrot —tool to work at the height of the bunch of grapes— When there is cold weather, they wear a short-brimmed coarse gray hat. They live in a ranch —a poor house with a single-sided roof—, have fun in chinganas, dance the country cueca, and occasionally travel in a goat. Their character is modest, altruistic, and mischievous.

They belong to the lower class (socioeconomic levels D and E), being homologous to the urban Guachacas.

Areas where it lives

The Chilean huaso inhabits rural communes in central and southern Chile (between the Valparaíso Region and the Los Lagos Region).

Traditions

Exclusive (in italics) or adapted activities are mentioned.

Art

• Hollow craftsmanship: It is made in the central area and those that have Denomination of Origin are: Pañul pottery, Pilen pottery, Pomaire pottery, Quinchamalí pottery, Doñihue jacket, razor fabric and Rari chryn tissue.

• I sing to the poet: It is a musical genre written in tenths and accompanied by a Chilean guitar or a transposed guitar. Contains the subgener paya.

• Huasa peasant cuisine: It is a type of Chilean gastronomy prepared in the central area and cooked within a Chilean oven. Highlights the huaso roll, the carmenere, the tomaton and the tortilla de rescoldo.

• Cueca: It is a musical genre accompanied by its own instruments: Chilean harp, charrango, Chilean plums, Chilean guitar, cuequero baker and torment. His dance symbolizes the different stages of an idyll, in which dancers with rapid movements are sought and skied.

• Huasa Dance: La cueca Campesina, la cueca de sal, la cueca tradicional, la jota Chilean, la mazamorra, el pequén, la porteña, la refalosa, la sajuriana y el sombrerito, que integrantes las danzas Chilean. The National Championship of Huasas and Representative Dances in Valdivia has been held annually since 2016.

• Jerga huasa: It is part of the Chilean Spanish dialect. Due to its Andalusian influence, the huaso is characterized by a ladino character and a language sprinkled with burlesque and socarron comments.

• Huasa mythology: It is part of Chilean mythology, highlighting the stories of Bartolo Lara, La Calchona, the bells of Rere, the Culebrón and the Inca lagoon.

• Tonada Chilean: It is a musical subgender of the tone. Its main exponents have been Los Cuatro Huasos, Los Huasos Quincheros, Margot Loyola, Violeta Parra and Pedro Messone.

Sports

• Amansa de novillos: Corresponds to the Chilean style of the bovine dome. It is made for a pair of oxen to form a yunta joined by a Chilean yoke, using ropes and rods of three meters.

• Carreras a la Chilean: It is the local version of horse racing. Two riders compete on Chilean horses without mount. Win who comes first to the goal.

• Domadura: Corresponds to the Chilean style of the dome of horses. It consists of mastering a Chilean horse in hair, without training. The domador must remain on the back, despite the sudden leaps and movements of the animal.

• Chancho persecution: It is made in large enclosures closed, like the court of a medialuna. He binds a fat to a pig and lets him run. Then a group of children should go out in their pursuit to catch him. Win whoever gets it.

• Rayuela: It has two forms, the cylindrical tile and the flat tile.

• Rodeo: It has two disciplines, the cow races and the reins movement.

• Top: Two riders with their horses face separated by a wooden rod at chest height. They must push each other. Win the rider who gets the opposite horse to move from the place he had when he started the competition.

• Let's go.

Festivity

• Meeting for Traditions: It is a meeting of thousands of huasos assembled who march through the streets of cities to become visible and to defend the Huasian traditions in the face of the advance of globalization and the assumptions of animal abuse caused by anti-Cylenism according to them.

• Huaso Festival: It is an alusive musical contest to Huasa culture. The Huaso de Olmué Festival, the Festival Nacional del Folklore de San Bernardo, the Festival and Festival Nacional de la Leche y la Carne, the Festival de la Sandía de Paine and the Week Buinense, framed within the Festivals de la Canción in Chile.

• Feast of Harvest: It is an activity where Chilean wine is celebrated.

• Fiesta Huasa: It is a coastal party, highlighting the celebrations in Rancagua and El Tránsito.

• Huasa religious festival: The Feast of Cuasimodo stands out, the Mass to the Chilean.

• Marriage to the Chilean: It is the patriotic version of the marriage in Chile with elements of the Huasa culture.

• Ramada: It is a place of sporadic entertainment with music, singing and dancing. Its informal version is chingana.

• Sago Fisur

In popular culture

On Chilean television, he has been parodied by the characters: Don Clorindo by Gilberto Guzmán, Segismundo Vega by Fernando Alarcón, El Clavel by Ernesto Cancino, Pancho del Sur by Francisco Gatica, Huaso Clemente by Claudio Reyes, El Carmelo by Daniel Muñoz, Rupertina by Cristián Henríquez, Huaso Filomeno by Roger Jara, Huaso Toto by Francisco Acuña, Pomperio Olegario by Omar Manquel and Pedro Pelluco by Julio Fuentes. He has been represented in soap operas produced by the Chilean National Television channel: Rojo y miel (1994), Aquelarre (1999), Los Pincheira (2004), El señor de La Querencia (2008) and We are the Carmonas (2013). In the Chilean comic, he appeared comically in Ramón, the creation of Víctor Arriagada. In Chilean soccer, defenders Cristián Álvarez and Mauricio Isla were nicknamed Huaso and the fan of the Chilean national team Raúl Palma, as Huaso Lalo. Clásico Huaso is played between the clubs O'Higgins and Rangers.

Monument to Huaso Chileno.

He has been commemorated in various ways. This was the name given to the thoroughbred horse that achieved the "world record for high equestrian jumping" in 1949 (current) together with the Chilean Alberto Larraguibel. In Curicó, the sculpture La Atajada by the Chilean Graciela Albridi was inaugurated in 2006. In Doñihue, the sculpture Monumento al Huaso Chileno by Chilean Roberto Calquín was inaugurated in 2016. In Antuco, the sculpture Monumento al Arriero by Frenchman Lucien Burquier was inaugurated in 2018. It is alluded to with the expression "uyui!". The Casa del Huaso Museum, the Linares Museum of Art and Crafts, the Colchagua Museum, the Museum of La Chilenidad and the Regional Museum of Rancagua exhibit on the subject.

Use of the term

Linguistically, the terms huaso, guaso or ahuasado are occasionally used in the Chilean urban culture in a derogatory manner as follows:

• As a nickname with which the population of Santiago refers to the people of the provinces, even if they come from cities or places where there have been no huasos, in some cases only to highlight this origin, and in others (or both) to highlight the supposed inoperativeness of the province to live in the capital.
• To support someone who is rude, or who misuses language.
• As a derogatory mote to refer to a shy, introverted or spit (independent of its provenance) person who alludes to the prejudice that peasant people do not have social competences.
• As a motto to refer to a person who does not understand anything (independent of their origin) that alludes to the prejudice that the peasants are foolish.
• To support someone of an aggressive, simplistic or credulous character.
• To support someone shy and quiet.
• As a mote, through which the smelt pattern, or the descendants of the country's former stanzas, refer to the pawns or tenants of the rural areas. The word is used with this meaning, especially by the current owners of large agricultural properties, or descendants of the local small aristocracies of each area (generally among the most advanced population), to refer to the landless rural population or to the small owners (usually poorer than the aforementioned owners).

Notwithstanding this property of the common language of urban areas, certain virtues are recognized in the huaso that make him worthy of admiration and pride as a typical Chilean man: his great chivalry, his loyalty, his patriotism and his bravery.