LATIN AMERICA URUGUAY

Uruguay is a small country on southeastern South American coast that emerged from years of military rule in the '70s and early '80s to become one of Latin America's most politically and economically inviting nations. Almost 90% of Uruguayans are of European immigrant descent -- mainly Spanish, but also Italian, French, British and Portuguese -- but the country's shared identity acknowledges the nation's historical relationship with African slavery and its consistent struggle to maintain independence from Spain, Argentina and Brazil.

In class we pretend the ride the open range as “Gauchos,” a term for a resident of Uruguay's Pampas (grasslands), roughly analogous to the American “cowboy." If you're a gaucho you might ride horses, herd cattle, sing gaucho songs and drink a lot of tea called yerba mate. Like American cowboys, few true gauchos remain, but gaucho cultural heritage is strong.