On the Estancia Mercedes ranch in Chile's Patagonia, friends of Sebastián García Iglesias gather to help brand livestock and castrate colts and steers. An all-day event, the work is accompanied by an extravagant traditional asado—or barbecue—hosted by the Iglesias Garcia family.

While a spirit of jocularity and easy community prevails, it's also a time to reflect on what it means to be a gaucho, on the legacy of the work, and on this way of life. (See "In the Wilds of Patagonia, Cowboy Honors the Pioneers Who Came Before.")

Compared with rounding up feral bulls, or riding through deep bogs and across steep sea cliffs to fetch cattle, the work is easy. As such, it also serves as an opportunity