Riding games
The sortija.
Carlos Adampol Galindo from DF, México — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Carlos Adampol Galindo from DF, México — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Carlos Adampol Galindo from DF, México — CC BY-SA 2.0 · CamilaMazza — CC BY-SA 4.0 · FacundoMatiasOjeda — CC BY-SA 4.0
The Mataderos Fair, officially the Fair of Argentine Crafts and Folk Traditions, is a Sunday market in the Mataderos district on the western edge of Buenos Aires, held under the arcades of the old cattle market. It began on 8 June 1986 and marked its fortieth year in 2026, and it is one of the truest places to see the culture of the gauchos, the herders of the plains. About three hundred stalls sell crafts: ponchos and woven blankets, leather and silverwork, mate gear, alongside plains dishes such as empanadas and locro, a thick maize stew. On stage there is folk music and dancing, and traditional riding games are held, including the sortija, in which a rider at full gallop tries to spear a small ring hanging from a thin bar. Entry is free, on Sundays and national holidays 11:00-19:00; there is no fair in January and February, and it is called off in rain.
The sortija.
On stage.
Ponchos and leather.
Avenida de los Corrales and Lisandro de la Torre, Mataderos
Sundays and national holidays 11:00-19:00; not in January or February.