What I discovered on the ride in Tierra del Fuego is that the beauty of this place is not diminished by what I had learned of its history. I went to Argentina having done the reading — expecting, perhaps, that the landscape would feel compromised by the dispossession, the extraction, the long erasures. What I found instead was that my knowledge of the place deepened what I saw. At the fire, at the end of each day, I understood something about the people who stayed: they had woven the ropes of cultural connection to bind themselves against the seduction of otherwhere. The asado, the songs, the fire — these are not warm customs. They are a deliberate technology of staying. A community that decided, collectively and repeatedly, that here was worth the cost of staying.
Tierra del Fuego — its history, its horses, its traditions, and its stillness — answers the call.
A Good Seat is a series of guides for curious riders who want to understand the landscapes they ride — engaging with the history, land, and horses of the places they cross. The first guide covers Tierra del Fuego. Subscribe to access all guides, field notes, and companion writing.
