Pato, also called juego del pato, is a game played on horseback that combines elements from polo and basketball. Since 1953 it has been the national sport of Argentina.
A game of pato in Monte Hermoso, Argentina.
Image: Throwing in for the goal
Image: Levante
Image: Torneolarural
A gaucho or gaúcho is a skilled horseman, reputed to be brave and unruly. The figure of the gaucho is a folk symbol of Argentina, Uruguay, Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil, the southern part of Bolivia, and the south of Chilean Patagonia. Gauchos became greatly admired and renowned in legend, folklore, and literature and became an important part of their regional cultural tradition. Beginning late in the 19th century, after the heyday of the gauchos, they were celebrated by South American writers.
Gaucho from Argentina, photographed in Peru, 1868
The earliest depiction of a Uruguayan gaucho (Emeric Essex Vidal, Picturesque Illustrations of Buenos Ayres and Monte Video, 1820)
Spanish official Félix de Azara, by Goya
Güemes and his gauchos: re-enactment