Patagonia
is
nature at its most pristine and desolate, a land of
wonders at the end of the earth. This combination of
opposites, of the inviting and the inaccessible, has both
lured and deterred numerous peoples to and from the region. Indians
were Patagonia's first human inhabitants, tribes that
adapted their cultures to the staunch challenges of the
land. Of all these tribes, the most formidable, the most
legendary, were the Tehuelche -- allegedly, a a
truculent, gargantuan Indian race. Of course, when the
first Europeans encountered the Indians, the Tehuelche
proved shorter and more amenable than reputation
suggested.
Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan was the first
European to reach Patagonia, stopping there briefly in
1520 during his voyage around the world. Dutch
adventurers blazed Magellan's trail in the following
years; in 1616, a Dutch navigator named the southernmost
tip of Argentina Cape Horn after his hometown, Hoorn. But
aside from a scant number of coastal settlers, few
Europeans journeyed into Patagonia itself.
Finally, in 1850, a Welsh expedition ventured into the
vast natural wealth and wasteland that comprise
Patagonia. Members of this party were amazed at the
extraordinary, almost otherworldly sights before them.
The names the Welsh explorers gave to many of Patagonia's
geographic locales -- the Island of Desolation, Anxious
Point, Port Famine -- attest to their trepidations. The
names they gave to animals, on the other hand, suggest
the rapport that the Welsh formed with Patagonia. In
particular, the Welsh had an affinity for small
flightless birds, "Pen-gywns," that according
to legend, were the resurrected souls of drowned sailors.
Today, Patagonia -- which occupies nearly a quarter of
Argentina alone -- is home to a minute number of farmers
and sheep ranchers. Most inhabitants live near the
Colorado and Negro river valleys, where farmers grow
alfalfa, pears, and apples. Still, sheep herds remain
Patagonia's number one economic activity. Ranchers occupy
wind-protected canyons, where their flocks of sheep have
adequate room and food for grazing.
|