Cattle were first brought to Argentina in 1536 by Spanish conquistadors. Due to the geography of the Pampas
and a small national market, the cattle multiplied rapidly. Railway building within Argentina and the invention of
refrigerated trains and ships in the late 19th century made an export market and Argentina's beef export
industry started to thrive. The flipped seasons between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres meant that
Argentine beef came onto the market at a time of year when beef was less at hand in the Northern
Hemisphere, which further lifted the potential export market in the United States and European markets.
Following the rising demand for high-quality beef, new breeds and selective cross-breeding have been
developed.
Argentine beef and its production have played a major part in the culture of Argentina, from the asado to the
history of the gauchos of the Pampas. Landowners became wealthy from beef production and export, and
estancia owners built large houses, important buildings in Buenos Aires and elsewhere, and contributed to
politics, philanthropy, and society. The agricultural show La Rural each winter in Buenos Aires became a major
part of the social season since it started in 1886.
In Chile, heightened taxes for the import of Argentine cattle in 1905 led to the meat riots, one of the first
massive protests in Santiago. The price of meat was kept artificially high by the government, by means of the
combination of a special tariff applied to cattle imports from Argentina, to protect the domestic producers, and a
runaway inflation. The riots lasted from October 22 until October 27, and between 200 and 250 people were
killed over this period, while more than 500 were injured. The financial losses were staggering. This revolt
emphasized that the social problems were far more serious than what the authorities believed.