Una Excursion a Los Indios Ranqueles

the long version

This is an non-fictional account of a military expedition by a group of Argentine cavalry officers and soldiers to visit the free Indians of the pampas, Los Ranqueles. The aim of the expedition, led by Colonel Mancilla, and Argentinian aristocrat, was to secure an alliance with the Ranqueles, possible against the wild Mapuches and Tehuelches of Patagonia. The book describes, with a great detail, the events and adventures that the members of the expeditions encountered during their encounters with the Indians. The Ranqueles were, like the native Americans of the North American prairies, expert horsemen, probably equal to the Comanches who were considered to be the best horsemen among the North American tribes. This a very interesting reading for anyone intererested in Native American cultures, especially the equestrian cultures of the pampas.