Luis Fabini / Cowboys of the Americas

The mythology of the cowboys has been woven into the cultural fabric of the Americas since the Spanish Conquistadors brought the horse and cattle to the “New World” in the 16th Century. In the United States and Canada these horsemen are known as cowboys, in Mexico they are the charros, in the Ecuadorian Highlands the chagras and in Chile they are called the huasos. In Argentina and Uruguay, they are called the gauchos and in Brazil the pantaneiros and the vaqueiros. Whatever their name is, these extraordinary centaurs share a unique relationship to their land and their animals. Uruguayan born photographer Luis Fabini’s project Cowboys of the Americas presents a unique body of work that captures the austere life of these men, all the while celebrating their pride in a fading world that has changed little since its inception.