Patagonia is a sparsely populated area. The cities nearest to Torres del Paine National Park are Puerto Natales and Punta Arenas, at 147 kilometers (91 miles) and 393 kilometers (244 miles), respectively.
Founded in 1848 as a penal colony, Punta Arenas has grown to become the largest city in Chilean Patagonia. When sea traffic through the Straits was at its peak, the town developed into an active, cosmopolitan port.
Take a Patagonia vacation to see that far from the city and in sharp contrast to the bustle of Punta Arenas, the large livestock estancias subsist in isolation and solitude. By necessity self-sufficient, they have remained untouched by urban development.
To this day, many continue to generate their own electricity and have no telephone connection. However, some welcome visitors from around the world who are interested in getting to know them.
The gaucho, that emblematic figure so typical of Patagonia, is responsible for the work on the estancia. A free and solitary though hospitable individual, he rises before sunrise to drive livestock across the pampa and take care of farm tasks. He is an expert rider and skilled in the use of boleadoras, a weapon comprised of stone balls tied by leather straps, which were used in ancient times by the Tehuelche indigenous people.
Of the four ethnic groups who used to inhabit this area -never in great numbers- only a few dozen descendants remain.
UNDRESSING THE LIVESTOCK: THE SHEARING FESTIVAL
Shearing is one of the most traditional activities and greatest attractions at the estancias. Cutting the wool from sheep has, over time, become one of the most typical rituals of gaucho culture.
Each year, during the third week in January, the “Fiesta de la Esquila” (shearing festival) takes place.
In the Tehuelche village in Chilean Patagonia, thousands of people come together to participate in the traditions of the Patagonian countryside: shearing, horseback rides, sheepdog maneuvers, together with handicraft exhibitions, folk music and dancing and the chance to sample food from the region.
