country_of_origin nobleza gaucha 
Gaucho or gaúcho is a word with several meanings . In its historical sense a gaucho was one " who , in the 18th and 19th centuries , inhabited ___MASK40___ , Uruguay and Rio Grande do Sul . Today , in ___MASK40___ and Uruguay , a gaucho is simply " A country person , experienced in traditional cattle ranching work ". Because historical gauchos were reputed to be brave , if unruly , the word is also applied metaphorically to mean " Noble , brave and generous ", but also " One who is skilful in subtle tricks , crafty ". In Portuguese the word " gaúcho " ( note the accent ) means " An inhabitant of the plains of Rio Grande do Sul or the pampas of ___MASK40___ descended from European man and [ Amer ] Indian woman who devotes himself to lassoing and raising cattle and horses "; and in Brazil " gaúcho " has also acquired a metonymic signification , meaning anyone , even an urban dweller , who is a citizen of the State of Rio Grande do Sul . In its purest sense , " gaucho " referred to the nomadic , often outlaw inhabitants of the great plains of ___MASK40___ , Uruguay and Brazil . In current usage , " gaucho " usually designates the rural working class in general ." Nobleza gaucha ( Gaucho Nobility ) is a 1915 Argentine silent film , loosely based on the Martín Fierro by José Hernández and Santos Vega by Rafael Obligado . It was directed by Eduardo Martinez de la Pera , who shared credit with Humberto Cairo , the producer , and Ernesto Gunche , the cinematographer . Martín Fierro is a 2 , 316 line epic poem by the Argentine writer José Hernández . The poem was originally published in two parts , " El Gaucho Martín Fierro " ( 1872 ) and " La Vuelta de Martín Fierro " ( 1879 ). The poem supplied a historical link to the gauchos ' contribution to the national development of ___MASK40___ , for the gaucho had played a major role in ___MASK40___ ' s independence from Spain . The poem , written in a Spanish that evokes rural ___MASK40___ , is widely seen as the pinnacle of the genre of " gauchesque " poetry ( poems centered on the life of the gaucho , written in a style that evokes the rural Argentine ballads known as " payadas ") and a touchstone of Argentine national identity . It has appeared in literally hundreds of editions and has been translated into over 70 languages . It has earned major commentaries from , among others , Leopoldo Lugones , Miguel de Unamuno , Jorge Luis Borges (" see " Borges on Martín Fierro ) and Rafael Squirru . The Martín Fierro Award , named for the poem , is the most respected award for Argentine television and radio programs . Borges on Martín Fierro concerns Argentinian Jorge Luis Borges ' s comments on José Hernández ' s nineteenth century poem " Martín Fierro ". Like most of his compatriots , Borges was a great admirer of this work , which he often characterized as the one clearly great work in Argentine literature . Because " Martín Fierro " has been widely considered ( beginning with Leopoldo Lugones ' s " El Payador ", 1916 ) the fountainhead or pinnacle of Argentine literature , ___MASK40___ ' s " Don Quixote " or " Divine Comedy ", and because Borges was certainly ___MASK40___ ' s greatest twentieth - century writer , Borges ' s 1953 book of essays about the poem and its critical and popular reception - " El " Martín Fierro "" ( written with Margarita Guerrero ) - gives insight into Borges ' s identity as an Argentine .