Uruguay
Here The Elite Are The Ranchers:
For ranchers in this friendly little nation, one of the biggest social events of the year is the agricultural show in Prado. The even is held annually, and prizes are awarded for the best breeds of livestock. In addition to the awards, it is a convention of machinery, with all of the ranches diligently looking over the latest and greatest new gear. Wingshooting in Uruguay got its start with the ranching community, and to this day, many ranchers own fine double guns that they have had imported from many parts of Europe from Spain to Britain.
The event emerged as an annual meeting for the Federacion Rural (the Rural Federation). This federation is Uruguay’s equivalent to a PAC, or political action committee, set up to influence politicians in the country to assist the ranchers with their needs. The group continually lobbies the government for more favorable tariff and exchange rate policies, since their incomes vary with the prices on the world market of their sheep and cattle exports.
When the country was rules by the military from 1972 until 1984, the federation lost much of its influence, turning many of the ranchers and farmers against the military leadership. Needless, back in those hunting and fishing in Uruguay was not very popular…and wealthy landowner wanted to keep a low profile, and stay clear of any entanglements with the government.
Of the two political parties in Uruguay, The Colorado Party, and the National Party, the farmers historically sided with the National Party, however, this is no longer the case. This was spearheaded primarily by a movement in 1953 by the Liga Federal de Accion Rural—which when translated into English reads: Federal League for Rural Action. This party played both sides of the political fence for many years and emerged as a “swing vote” party which drew farmers away from some of their longstanding political alliances with the National Party.
The political winds would come and go, but one of the things that seldom changed was the inclination toward aristocracy. The rural areas remained even more hierarchal than in the big cities, and Uruguay wingshooting was certainly a part of the aristocracy. Bird hunting in Uruguay never would have been considered as important as the equestrian events, or fishing, but it certainly had its time and place in the history of this fine little country.
In comparison with the large landed gentry that make up the country of Argentina (Uruguay’s neighbor), the large land owners here never achieved the same political and social status. In Argentina, settlers hailed from all over the world, and the resulting culture was much more sophisticated and diverse. In comparison, the Uruguayan settlers were in most cases descendants of colonial Spanish settlers, with many of them acting as absentee landowners, preferring to reside in the large city of Montevideo where their offspring attended private schools sponsored by the Roman Catholic Church in most cases. Regardless of the fact that the Uruguayans kept a somewhat lower profile than their neighbors in Argentina, the did in fact control the majority of the land in this small country, and their influence was significant, and their contributions to the amazing history of this country commendable.
So here we are now in the 21st Century, and hunting and fishing is alive and well in Uruguay, and for many of us from outside of South America, it is this passion that brings us to Uruguay—but it is always nice to keep in mind that this is a nation steeped in culture, and rich in history, a history that is worth learning a little more about. You can see the farmland and the guides at work in Uruguay on our dedicated site for Uruguay hunting videos.
