Author(s): Toni Meneguzzo

Photography

The book is a research on the syncretism of the Argentinian rural bandits. The project follows the footsteps of Gauchito Gil and San la Muerte, two of many folk saints not recognized by the Roman Catholic Church but which are flourishing in Argentina. The Gauchito Gil is a legendary character of Argentina's popular culture. He was allegedly born in the area of Pay Ubre, nowadays Mercedes, Corrientes, possibly in the 1840s, and died on 8 January 1878. He became a mystical symbol of bravery stealing from the rich and giving to the poor. The book includes evocative pictures of the quacks, the pilgrims, the prayer centres, the gauchos arriving on horses to Mercedes the 8 January to celebrate the death of Gauchito Gil, those saved /cured by miracles, the most radical bandits with Gauchito tatooed, the Catholic Church representatives, and so on. Devotees of San La Muerte, which is depicted as a male skeletal figure holding a scythe, make offerings in hopes of favors ranging from health, fortune and protection to revenge. Toni Meneguzzo took the photographs included in the book in different Argentinian areas: Corrientes, El Chaco, Missione and Buenos Aires.
The book includes texts by Andreas Sala, Daphne Angles, Jean Blanchaert, Tommaso Basilio and Toni Meneguzzo.