 |
Rio Grande do Sul is a frontier state but it’s a frontier with very clear characteristics. The blood of its people is a mixture of European, Native Brazilian Indian and African. Many legends known nationwide originated here and many were the battles the locals fought to defend their land and their republican ideals. The pampa – the Brazilian prairie – has its own culture and accent, where cowboys known as gauchos, wear heavy ponchos, baggy trousers, cook barbecues and wear beautiful ornaments when riding horses. And the true gaucho is never without his cup of chimarrão – the local tea – a habit inherited from native tribes. The evolution of modern agricultural techniques has transformed the landscape of Rio Grande do Sul, doing away with small ranchs. It’s a dry, hot landscape, swept at times by the devastating strength of the Southern winds. A little known place in Rio Grande do Sul is Sete Povos das Missões. There, Jesuits used to make Guarani Indians sculpt the image of European saints, but it’s also from there that a new breed of sculptors has emerged, proving that art goes beyond race, faith and regionalism. |
|
