Feria de Mataderos

Mataderos is a Barrio on the western edge of Buenos Aires. Every sunday the Feria de Mataderos offers a mixture of craft market, farmers market, gauchos on horseback, live music, dancing and lots of food.

I went with a group from school. We took about an hour to reach Mataderos by
colectivo. Price one peso.

Gauchos are much in evidence. Their costumes and harnesses often include elaborate leatherwork.



Visitors are entertained by Gauchos hurtling at full tilt towards this iron bar. A ring about the size of a 50p piece is loosely attached to the bar. The obect is to spear and retain the ring with a micro-lance about the size of a biro.

Anti-slip sand is sprinkled on the road.



This Gaucho holds his micro-lance in his mouth as he accelerates towards the bar.


Setting the ring. Only about 1 in 5 manage to spear and retain the ring.


Another run about to begin.


Remedies for every ailment.


Spices in bulk.


Having arrived not intending to buy anything I ended up with three carrier bags containing wine, licor de crema al limon, olives, nuts, assorted items in leather and a wooden spoon. The wine didn’t make it back home. The bottle broke when I dropped it.

Live music by La Yunta and others.


Dancing.




There was lots of dancing from around 17:30 until 20:00 when we took a packed colectivo back to Buenos Aires. Muchas gracias Cecilia.