El Gaucho Santo

El Gaucho Santo is a documentary project about the popular devotion to Antonio Mamerto Gil Núñez, known as Gauchito Gil, a folk saint from Corrientes, Argentina. According to popular belief, Gil was a gaucho and outlaw who was executed in the late 19th century and became a symbol of protection for the poor, travelers, and the forgotten. Over time, his story spread through oral tradition and collective faith. Today, Gauchito Gil is one of the most widely venerated popular saints in Argentina. His red flags, roadside shrines and images appear across the country. Every January 8th, hundreds of thousands of people gather in Mercedes, Corrientes, to honor him, fulfill promises, ask for protection or simply be part of the celebration. This project is not only about the pilgrimage. It is a broader visual report on the devotion itself: the road, the shrine, the bodies, the music, the exhaustion, the joy, the noise and the encounters. It follows how faith is lived collectively and how it appears in public space, becoming part of everyday life for many people. Rather than trying to explain belief, El Gaucho Santo stays close to those who sustain this devotion: people who arrive walking, on horseback, by bicycle or bus, and those who wait. The project accompanies them along the road and at the shrine, observing how this popular faith is passed on and shared over time.