Photo Gallery

Flock of sheep on the Río Gallegos - Santa Cruz Province - 1973

Patagonia, also known as desierto verde (green desert), is an immense sheep pasture. The sheep are bred only for the wool. The estancieros completely neglect meat production. The sheep meat is therefore of poor quality and plays no role at all in the national budget. On the other hand, the price of wool has been repeatedly driven up on the international market. About ten million sheep are kept in the polar zones, seven million in Patagonia alone. The wool is pressed into bales of 200 to 300 kilos. It is shipped by ship from Río Gallegos (Santa Cruz province) to Buenos Aires and from Ushuaia (Tierra del Fuego) to Europe. In the last few years, synthetic fibres have increasingly competed with wool. Our picture was taken between Río Gallegos and Río Turbio (Santa Cruz province), on the track leading to the Cordillera. - 1973

Sheep shearing takes place during the months of December and January, in the heart of the southern summer. The work is carried out in a galpón, a building reserved for this purpose that can be seen in all the estancias. The sheep are led to the galpón by ovejeros on horseback. Each esquilador (shearer) shears about 200 sheep a day. He uses an electric shearer set in motion by a motor which, at the same time, provides light to the property. Twice a year the esquiladores cut the wool around the sheep's eyes. The animals cannot see clearly because of the thickness of their fleece. - 1973

In recent years, a lively trade has developed between Ushuaia and various ports around the world. In the city's shops you can buy alcoholic beverages, clothes made of synthetic fibres, electrical appliances and cameras at unrivalled prices. The main customers are sailors in transit. Many of the inhabitants of Ushuaia earn their living through trade. The quays are busy at all hours of the day and night. Large bales of wool are waiting to be loaded. Each one bears the name of the estancia from which it came. Men are constantly rushing back and forth between the ships and the goods stacked in the harbour. A ship from Italy has anchored in the bay of Ushuaia. Immediately, the cargo of about six thousand sheep is brought on board. This is no easy task, because the animals are scattered all over the place. Each of them represents a value of about eighty francs. Beyond the canal, on its southern bank, the imposing outline of the island of Navarino can be seen, which is in Chilean possession. - 1973

There are huge flocks of sheep in Patagonia. Not the meat but the wool is the main purpose of sheep farming. One sheep yields four to five kilos of wool. After shearing, this is pressed into bales weighing about 200 kilograms and wrapped in cloth. In the port of Río Grande, these bales are shipped to Europe. - 1973

There are huge flocks of sheep in Patagonia. Not the meat but the wool is the main purpose of sheep farming. One sheep yields four to five kilos of wool. After shearing, this is pressed into bales weighing about 200 kilograms and wrapped in cloth. In the port of Río Grande, these bales are shipped to Europe. - 1973

In southern Patagonia and especially on Tierra del Fuego and in southern Chile, the climate and vegetation only allow sheep farming. The flocks graze scattered over thousands of hectares of stony wasteland. They are only herded together for three occasions: Disinfection bath, shearing and slaughter. But then the ovejeros, the shepherd gauchos, are often on the move for days with their powerful dogs, keeping in touch with each other with high altitude fires and smoke signals. - Near Estancia Los Luises, Santa Cruz Province - 1973