Ángel della Valle, 1893
La Vuelta del Malón is a striking depiction of indigenous resistance during Argentina’s colonial and post-colonial expansion, particularly in the context of cattle ranching and territorial consolidation. Painted for the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, the work presents a dramatic scene of indigenous raiders returning from an attack, carrying stolen religious artifacts and a captured woman. The central rider, blindfolded and wounded, intensifies the sense of violent struggle. The sweeping Pampas landscape, still dark from an early storm, reinforces the sense of conflict between native groups and the forces of modernisation.
This painting holds deep relevance to our exhibition, as it reflects the violent clashes between indigenous communities and the advancing frontier of cattle ranching and European settlement. As estancias expanded to fuel Argentina’s booming beef industry, indigenous groups who had long inhabited the Pampas were forcibly displaced or exterminated in campaigns such as the Conquest of the Desert (1870s). While the gaucho became a romanticised national symbol, indigenous horsemen – once dominant in the region – were framed as obstacles to progress. La Vuelta del Malón stands as a reminder that Argentina’s transformation into a ranching powerhouse came at the cost of indigenous lives, land, and autonomy.