Chilean Rodeo as a National Symbol

Rodeo is considered an important national symbol in Chile. The evolution of this cultural phenomenon throughout history reveals that it has not always enjoyed the recognition it has today. The first rodeos in Chile were held in the second half of the 16th century, but this word used to have a differ...

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Main Author: A. V. Kutkova
Format: Article
Language:Russian
Published: Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO) 2024-09-01
Series:Ибероамериканские тетради
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.iberpapers.org/jour/article/view/647
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author A. V. Kutkova
author_facet A. V. Kutkova
author_sort A. V. Kutkova
collection DOAJ
description Rodeo is considered an important national symbol in Chile. The evolution of this cultural phenomenon throughout history reveals that it has not always enjoyed the recognition it has today. The first rodeos in Chile were held in the second half of the 16th century, but this word used to have a different meaning at the time. In the colonial era of Spanish America, «rodeo» referred to herding cattle (derived from the verb rodear meaning «to surround»), a hard and dangerous task in the vast expanses of the New World. Four centuries later, on January 10, 1962, the Chilean Olympic Committee officially recognized rodeo as a national sport that nowadays means a lot more to Chileans than a mere spectacle. Reflecting on how and why Chilean society, especially the intellectual elite, changed its attitude towards rural life helps to understand the fundamental characteristics of Chilean national identity. In the late 19th and early 20th century, when Chilean society sought national self-determination, criollista writers turned their attention to rural life and found that the huaso rider, the protagonist of the rodeo, embodied Chilean ethnotypic spirit. The idealized image of the Chilean cowboy, born on the pages of books and immortalized in early 20th-century cinema, resonated with different strata of society. Today rodeo, which used to be a key element of everyday life in Central Chile, has become part of the entire country’s intangible cultural heritage and a significant symbol of the Chilean nation, which began to take shape in times of the Conquest.
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spelling doaj-art-d01fd2521b624769bb38886aaa7ba39e2025-08-20T02:54:15ZrusMoscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO)Ибероамериканские тетради2409-34162658-52192024-09-0112313615710.46272/2409-3416-2024-12-3-136-157598Chilean Rodeo as a National SymbolA. V. Kutkova0Lomonosov Moscow State UniversityRodeo is considered an important national symbol in Chile. The evolution of this cultural phenomenon throughout history reveals that it has not always enjoyed the recognition it has today. The first rodeos in Chile were held in the second half of the 16th century, but this word used to have a different meaning at the time. In the colonial era of Spanish America, «rodeo» referred to herding cattle (derived from the verb rodear meaning «to surround»), a hard and dangerous task in the vast expanses of the New World. Four centuries later, on January 10, 1962, the Chilean Olympic Committee officially recognized rodeo as a national sport that nowadays means a lot more to Chileans than a mere spectacle. Reflecting on how and why Chilean society, especially the intellectual elite, changed its attitude towards rural life helps to understand the fundamental characteristics of Chilean national identity. In the late 19th and early 20th century, when Chilean society sought national self-determination, criollista writers turned their attention to rural life and found that the huaso rider, the protagonist of the rodeo, embodied Chilean ethnotypic spirit. The idealized image of the Chilean cowboy, born on the pages of books and immortalized in early 20th-century cinema, resonated with different strata of society. Today rodeo, which used to be a key element of everyday life in Central Chile, has become part of the entire country’s intangible cultural heritage and a significant symbol of the Chilean nation, which began to take shape in times of the Conquest.https://www.iberpapers.org/jour/article/view/647rodeohuasoethnotypechilean historychilean national identity
spellingShingle A. V. Kutkova
Chilean Rodeo as a National Symbol
Ибероамериканские тетради
rodeo
huaso
ethnotype
chilean history
chilean national identity
title Chilean Rodeo as a National Symbol
title_full Chilean Rodeo as a National Symbol
title_fullStr Chilean Rodeo as a National Symbol
title_full_unstemmed Chilean Rodeo as a National Symbol
title_short Chilean Rodeo as a National Symbol
title_sort chilean rodeo as a national symbol
topic rodeo
huaso
ethnotype
chilean history
chilean national identity
url https://www.iberpapers.org/jour/article/view/647
work_keys_str_mv AT avkutkova chileanrodeoasanationalsymbol