Il patrimonio culturale del mate nella storia, nella letteratura e nelle arti rioplatensi

Mate is an infusion derived from the dried and ground leaves of a shrub classified in 1822 by French botanist Auguste de Sainte Hilaire as Ilex paraguensis (o paraguayensis). The drink was known already in pre-Colombian times, originally among the Guarani Indios in what is today Paraguay, but its use subsequently spread to other regions of Latin America: Argentina, Uruguay, Bolivia, Peru and some areas of Southern Brasil and Chile. Mate has nutritional, tonic, diuretic and stimulant properties, and for this reason, according to its origin myths, it was given to the Indios by the gods. In the Rio de la Plata region it is widely used to this day and has acquired a wide range of connotations associated with identity, meditation and integration, as well as a number of aspects of every-day life. This study outlines the history of mate from “diabolic ritual” to cultural heritage, focusing on the evidence provided by literary sources and the visual arts.