Dressing Up the Legend of the
Glendale Gaucho
by Ken Bus

A lot of people know that GCC’s mascot is a “gaucho,” even though the origin of this symbol is lost in the college’s early history. Perhaps the campus setting in the west valley conjured up images of cowboys in the old southwest. For the sake of alliteration the cowboy of legend took the name of his South American counterpart—the gaucho of the pampas of Argentina. Thus was born the “Glendale Gaucho,” proud name of championship teams and generations of alumni.

In an effort to give the campus symbol a more definite identity, the International Students Program has donated a complete gaucho costume to be used at GCC for special occasions. The clothing and accessories that real gauchos wear and carry on the vast ranches where they live and work in Argentina was purchased in September of this year from a store in Buenos Aires.

The first item (see photo) that every gaucho has to have is a hat. Smaller than a cowboy hat, the gaucho sombrero is usually black and is sometimes worn with the brim turned up against the windy conditions on the prairies or pampas, as they are known in Argentina. To ward off the chill, gauchos wear a woolen poncho woven into beautiful patterns that designate their origin. By happy chance, there is an area of southern Argentina known as Salte where the preferred poncho colors are red and black—the same as GCC’s official school colors.

The baggy pants that tuck into the gaucho’s black boots are known as bombacha. A large leather belt (rebenque) with a silver buckle (centro de rastra) and a red and black waistband (facon) complete the outfit. Most gauchos also wear a plain white shirt, sometimes with a bandana or scarf tied around their neck.

And then there are the accessories. Like their American cowboy counterparts, gauchos spend a lot of time on horseback, so they almost always carry a “quirt,” which is a short riding crop (tirador de carpincho) tucked into their belt. They also have a fancy handled knife (faja) and a set of bolas (boleadoras)—the unique three-stranded leather straps with a stone weight at each end. The bolas serve the gaucho in the same way that the lariat is used by a cowboy. They twirl it around their head to create momentum and then release it while aiming at the legs of a running animal. The weights cause the leather straps to wrap around the legs of the animal (usually a cow or an ostrich) so that it can be brought down and branded.

After a hard day in the saddle, gauchos relax around the campfire sipping their favorite drink: maté, a green herbal tea that less enthusiastic individuals say tastes like it was made from grass clippings. The way Argentines drink it is unique, however, and so the accessories of the Glendale Gaucho include a small round bowl (maté) made from a gourd in which the tea (also known as maté) is mixed with hot water and then sipped through a thin metal straw (bombilla) with a strainer on the end to filter out the tea leaves. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea but it’s practically a national pastime in Argentina. Some people there drink it sweetened with sugar, but that’s not considered macho by real gauchos.

The Glendale Gaucho will make special appearances at football games and other campus events. The purpose is to personify the school spirit and give the college a visual image similar to the “Red Raider” at Texas Tech University. When the costume is not in use, there is a plan to store it in a display case, perhaps in the Student Union. The only thing we need now is a horse.

Vivan Los Gauchos!

Ken Bus is the director of the International Students Program at Glendale Community College