Faustino Barrientos has spent the greater part of his 81 years in complete solitude and isolation. Since 1965 he’s worked as a gaucho—the horse-riding ranchers and shepherds of the harsh southern swath of Chile and Argentina known as Patagonia. For most of his life, Faustino’s sole human contact has occurred once every two years, when he herds his cattle to the nearest town to sell.
The gaucho lifestyle, which essentially consists of hunting and herding, has remained constant since the colonial era. To say these guys are lonesome is an understatement—this isn’t like moving to the country and starting a blog about local varieties of heirloom carrots. But Faustino wasn’t always alone. He was raised on the shores of Lake O’Higgins in a place known as Once Hermanos, which is named after his family of 11 brothers and sisters. Over the years, the siblings moved away one by one. Then their parents died, their houses were burned down by vengeful neighbors, and the land was sold. Faustino moved to Argentina, traveling the country and honing the skills that would allow him to eventually return to Lake O’Higgins and live off the land for the next 46 years.
