The turf war brewing between the rival claimants to Uruguay’s land is about more than merely how to divide up the verdant, undulating plains. It is a political contest that pits a vision of the country’s economic future against its cultural heritage.
Ranged on one side are the small livestock farmers, heirs to the tradition of the “gaucho” – the wandering minstrel-cowboy whose cattle, sheep and dairy products have been the staple of the domestic diet and trade for centuries.
