Gauchito Gil

Gauchito Gil
A mural with a traditional depiction of the Gauchito Gil in a suburb of Rosario.
Little Gaucho Gil, Gaucho Saint, Folk Saint of Argentina
Born	1840s, allegedly 1847 Pay Ubre, Mercedes, Argentina
Died	8 January 1878 Mercedes, Argentina
Venerated in	Folk Catholicism
Major shrine	Sanctuary of Gauchito Gil, Pay Ubre, Mercedes, Corrientes
Feast	January 8
Attributes	Gaucho standing in front of a red cross, holding a bola or a red cross, red bandana, blue poncho, Prosopis caldenia
Patronage	Gauchos, protection from harm, luck, fortune, good health, love, healing, outlaws, bravery, deserters, folk heroes, cowboys, safe passage

The Gauchito Gil (literally "Little Gaucho Gil") is a legendary character of Argentina's popular culture. His full name was Antonio Mamerto Gil Núñez and he was allegedly born in the area of Pay Ubre, nowadays Mercedes, Corrientes, possibly in the 1840s, and died on 8 January 1878. He is regarded as the most prominent gaucho saint in Argentina, with smaller areas of veneration reported in Paraguay, Chile and Brazil.

Popular accounts vary, but in broad terms the legend tells that Antonio Gil was born in the 1840s as a farmworker in a ranch and a devout believer in the folk saint San La Muerte. It is said that the owner of the ranch, a wealthy widow named Estrella Diaz Miraflores, fell in love, or had an affair, with him, but when her brothers and the head of the local police (who was also in love with Miraflores) found out about their relationship, they accused him of robbery and tried to kill him. He enlisted in the army to escape from them, fighting against the Paraguayan army. When the war ended, he returned home and was welcomed as a hero.

But when he arrived at his village, he was forcibly recruited by the Colorados to return to the army and fight in the Argentine Civil War against the Liberal parties. After he tired of fighting, he decided to desert and became an outlaw. In the years following his desertion, he acquired a reputation as a Robin Hood figure, for his efforts to protect and help the needy, the poor, and those who suffered in extreme poverty. Many locals stated that "Gauchito" Gil had miraculous healing powers and the ability of hypnosis, and that he was apparently immune to bullets.

On January 8, 1878, the local police, led by Colonel Velázquez, caught him hiding in a forest after a party and took him about 8 kilometers away from Mercedes. There, they tortured him over a fire and hanged him from his feet on an algarrobo tree, preparing to execute him. When the police sergeant was about to kill him, "Gauchito" Gil said to him: "You are going to kill me now, but you will arrive in Mercedes tonight at the same time as a letter of my pardon. In the letter they will also tell you that your son is dying of a strange illness. If you pray and beg me to save your child, I promise you that he will live. If not, he will die." The sergeant laughed at this, and responded, "I don't care," and killed "Gauchito" Gil by slitting his throat.