Gaucho Gil

Along the sides of the highways, all over South America, there are memorials built to remember loved ones who have been killed at that site. Most are small but some are quite large and expensive looking. Many of them are visited daily and adorned with fresh flowers.



While driving thru northern Argentina I noticed a number of sites that were decorated with red flags and what looks like barbecues. These areas did not look like a typical shrine and I was bewildered as to what they could possibly be. Most were around very large shade trees and the entire tree would be decorated with large red flags that could be seen from a distance. I thought they must be 'Stop and Barbecue' sites.



After much digging I finally have the answer. They are memorials to a gaucho, Antonio Mamerto Gil Nunez, more commonly known as Gaucho Gil. Gaucho Gil was a desserter of the military here in Argentina and spent his life on the run, robbing from the rich and giving to the poor. He is revered as a sort of 'defacto' saint. The story goes that when he was finally caught he informed his exucutioner that if he were to go thru with his dirty deed the man's son would become deathly ill and that the only way he could be cured was by giving Gil a proper burial. The exucutioner went ahead with his job and found on arriving home that evening, that his son was, indeed, very ill. He returned to the exucution site, buried Gil and the story goes that his son did in fact return to good health.

I do not know exactly how much of this story is true, however, Gaucho Gil was in fact exucuted on January 8, 1878. His shrines exist all over Argentina and people still stop and leave fresh water, wine and even meals for their beloved Gaucho Gil.