Ranches and Farms: the traditional cattle farming architecture of Rio Grande do Sul

Rio Grande do Sul, la región meridional de Brasil, se caracenterizo por el desarrollo de la actividad ganadera. Los criaderosre extensos, llamados "estancias", o "haciendas" surgieron enla provincia a partir de la existencia de pastos de buena calidady del ganado xucro remanente de las reducciones jesuiintasoEste ciclo económico regional produjo una arquitecturarural que presentó algunos desarrollos particulares sobre losesquemas luso-brasileros adoptados hasta mitad del sigloXIX; momento en el cual surgieron las influencias eclécticas,propias del periodo industrial que se avecinaba, y platenses,generadas a partir de la permeabilidad de las fronteras entreel Brasil y sus vecinos. A lo largo de dos siglos la arquitecturarural de la ganadería riograndense constituyó un conjuntoheterogéneo de aspectos constructivos, plásticos y de distribución interior.Rio Grande do Sul, located in the south of Brazil, has developed an important cattle farming activity. Large farms, called "estancias" or "haciendas", were initially founded in the north of the state, because of the good quality of the pastures and the livestock named xucro which came for the Jesustic remnants. This regional economical activity developed a particular rural architecture different from the Portuguese - Brazilian approaches that were common until to the middle of 19th century, moment in which eclectic and platenses (from la Plata, Argentina) influences appeared; the first from the industrial period that it was starting, the second from the Brazilian borders. During two centuries, the rural architecture related to cattle farming in Rio Grande do Sul was a heterogeneous display of construction, expressive, and interior space aspects