This work deals with the construction of identity
representations of the nation woven in the
image of the popular Argentinian saint Gaucho
Antonio Gil. This figure configured itself
in the national imaginary as one symbols
most filled with the popular Argentinian religiousness.
Many scholars have even come to
consider the image as a symbol of all things
Argentinian, and its meaning to go beyond
the religious context. Thus, this reflection enquires
into the memories that built this figure
and some of the expansion trajectories of devotion.
Likewise, it analyzes how this icon updates
and recreates myths, foundation of the
national identity, and alternate representation
schemes from multiple appropriation processes.
The information used in this text comes
from three field works carried out in January
2010, 2011, and 2012, during the Gaucho Gil
festivities in Mercedes, Corrientes; additional
to the analysis of images and several different
circulating documents.