''The Caranchos of Florida'' (Spanish:''Los Caranchos de la Florida'') is a novel by the Argentine writer

Benito Lynch Benito Lynch (25 July 1885 - 23 December 1951) was an Argentine novelist and short story writer. Biography Lynch was born in Buenos Aires. He came from a family of Irish origin who settled in the Río de la Plata region since the 18th century. T ...

, which was first published in 1916.Williams p.10 The title refers to the

crested caracara The crested caracara (''Caracara plancus'') is a bird of prey in the family Falconidae. It is found from the southern United States through Central and South America to Tierra del Fuego. It was formerly placed in the genus ''Polyborus''. Descri ...

, a

bird of prey Birds of prey or predatory birds, also known as raptors, are hypercarnivorous bird species that actively hunt and feed on other vertebrates (mainly mammals, reptiles and other smaller birds). In addition to speed and strength, these predators h ...

known in Spanish as "Caranchos", and used as a pejorative similar to the English "

vulture A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including Condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to North and ...

". The Florida in the title refers to a

cattle ranch A ranch (from es, rancho/Mexican Spanish) is an area of land, including various structures, given primarily to ranching, the practice of raising grazing livestock such as cattle and sheep. It is a subtype of a farm. These terms are most often ...

in rural Argentina, rather than the American state of the same name. It is part of the

Gaucho literature Gaucho literature, also known as gauchesco ("gauchoesque") genre was a literary movement purporting to use the language of the gauchos, comparable to the American cowboy, and reflecting their mentality. Although earlier works have been identified a ...

genre. In 1938 it was adapted into a film of the same title.

References

Bibliography

* Williams, Raymond Leslie. ''The Twentieth-Century Spanish American Novel''. University of Texas Press, 2009. 1916 Argentine novels Novels by Benito Lynch Argentine novels adapted into films Novels set in Argentina {{1910s-novel-stub