Uruguayan folklore

thumb|upright|200px|Gaucho from Argentina, photographed in Peru, 1868 A gaucho () or gaúcho () is a skilled horseman, reputed to be brave and unruly. The figure of the gaucho is a folk symbol mainly in Argentina and Uruguay but also in Paraguay, Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil, southern Bolivia, and southern Chile. Gauchos became greatly admired and renowned in legend, folklore, and literature and became an important part of their regional cultural tradition. Beginning late in the 19th century, after the heyday of the gauchos, they were celebrated by South American writers.

Bolas or bolases (: bola; from Spanish and Portuguese bola, "ball", also known as a boleadora or boleadeira) is a type of throwing weapon made of weights on the ends of interconnected cords, used to capture animals by entangling their legs. Bolas were most famously used by the gauchos, but have been found in excavations of Pre-Columbian settlements, especially in Patagonia, where indigenous peoples (particularly the Tehuelche) used them to catch 200-pound guanacos and rheas. The Mapuche and the Inca army used them in battle. Mapuche warriors used bolas in their confrontations with the Chilean

thumb|Caipora riding a "forest hog" () or peccary Caipora () or Caapora (Kaapora) is a forest spirit or humanoid and guardian of wildlife or game in Brazilian folklore.

thumb|, an Uruguayan murga group performing on the occasion of the inauguration of Uruguayan president Tabaré Vázquez, Montevideo, March 2005 Murga is a form of popular musical theatre performed in Argentina, Panama, Spain and Uruguay during the Carnival season. Murga groups also operate in the Buenos Aires Carnival, though to a lesser extent than in Montevideo; the Argentinian murga is more centred on dancing and less on vocals than the Uruguayan one. Uruguayan murga has a counterpart in Cádiz, Spain, from which it is derived, the chirigota, but over time the two have diverged into distinct f

thumb|200px|Payada in a pulpería by Carlos Morel (painter)|Carlos Morel thumb|200px|Juan Arroyo, Argentine payador, thumb|right|200px|Payador playing in his rancho,