THE STORY OF GAUCHITO GIL

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Antonio Mamerto Gil Núñez, better known as “Gauchito Gil”, worked as a cowboy on farms and was very skillful at healing illnesses with herbs. He was very dear to the peole in his homeland and was known for his integrity. He helped wherever he could and always defended and supported the poor.  He came from Pay-Ubre, which today is Mercedes, in the province of Corrientes, Argentina. In 1877 he was drafted into military service to fight in the fateful War of the Triple Alliance, in which, instigated by Great Britain, Argentina, Brasil and Uruguay, who disliked the notorious agrarian and industrial development of Paraguay, attacked and destroyed this country and killed almost the whole masculine population. Antonio Gil abandoned very soon his troop because he did not want to fight against his Paraguayan brothers. For this reason he was persecuted as a traitor, especially by Coronel Zalazar, who finally caught him on January 8th, 1878. Antonio Gil, knowing that he would be executed, said to the coronel: “Don’t kill me, because the order for my acquittal is already on the way.” He knew that his followers had achieved the official pardon order from the Governor.   But the Coronel did not believe him and told the soldiers to proceed. Antonio Gil told him then: “When you get back home you will find your little son very ill and dying. As you will have  executed  an innocent man, you may invoke my name for my intercession before God to save your son’s life”. The Coronel mocked these sayings and put him to death. The Governor’s acquittal order reached him a few hours later.

As Antonio Gil had anticipated, the Coronel found his little son very ill and dying when he arrived at his home. No medicine could save him, he was told. Remembering Antonio Gil’s words he knelt down in despair and invoked his name begging him to intercede before God to save his son’s life. At sunrise the miracle happened and the little boy got well. In a state of great remorse and regret the Coronel then made a cross of “ñandubay” branches with his own hands, took it to the spot of the execution and this way built the first altar in memory of the Gauchito Gil. The sanctuary soon became a place of veneration and was multiplied by thousands of altars that today can be seen by the roads of Argentina, Paraguay and the south of Brasil. The red cloth symbolizes the scarves the “gauchos” usually wear but, at the same time, the innocent blood that was shed. There are many people who worship the Gauchito Gil as a saint although the Catholic Church hasn’t canonized him as such. As for myself, I made these drawings and paintings to honor this widespread popular faith, which touches my heart.