estancia

300px|thumb|An estancia in Argentine Patagonia near the [[Andes.]] An estancia or estância is a large, private plot of land used for farming or raising cattle or sheep. Estancias are located in the southern South American grasslands of Chilean and Argentine Patagonia, while the pampas have historically been estates used to raise livestock, such as cattle or sheep. In Puerto Rico, an estancia was a farm growing ; that is, crops for local sale and consumption, the equivalent of a truck farm in the United States. In Chile and Argentina, they are large rural complexes with similarities to what in the United States is called a ranch.

== History == In the early Caribbean territories and Mexico, holders of encomiendas acquired land in the area where they had access to Indian labor. They needed on-site Hispanic supervisors or labor bosses called . In Mexico, multiple estancias owned by the same individual could be termed a hacienda. The term estancia is used in various ways in Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, southern Chile and southern Brazil. The equivalent in other Spanish American countries would be hacienda.