MARTÍN FIERRO FOR STUDENTS · THE GAUCHO · 1872
Canto 13 Explained: Fierro and Cruz Cross the Frontier: The End of Part One
A source-linked English study guide alongside José Hernández’s original Spanish poem.
What happens in Canto 13?
Fierro tells Cruz that the two men are alike in being pursued, and proposes seeking refuge beyond the frontier. He reflects on suffering, faith, the human powers of reason and speech, and the dangers of their proposed journey. He imagines that they may find shelter in an Indigenous encampment, an expectation shaped by his own prejudices and uncertain information. At the end, the singer breaks his guitar; the narration describes Fierro and Cruz taking a group of horses, crossing the frontier and disappearing into the open country. The poem closes without confirming what will become of them.
Original verses: three passages worth studying
The following stanzas are taken directly from the repository's original-text corpus, without modernization. Explanations elsewhere on this page are interpretation, not translation.
ya veo que somos los dosastillas del mesmo palo:yo paso por gaucho maloy usté anda del mesmo modo;y yo, pa acabarlo todo,a los indios me refalo.
Ruempo, dijo, la guitarra,pa no volverme a tentar;ninguno la ha de tocar,por siguro tengaló;pues naides ha de cantarcuando este gaucho cantó.
Y cuando la habían pasao,una madrugada clarale dijo Cruz que miraralas últimas poblaciones,y a Fierro dos lagrimonesle rodaron por la cara.
Main characters and voices
Martín Fierro; Sergeant Cruz; an external closing narrator in the final stanzas; Indigenous people discussed through Fierro's speculation, rather than speaking for themselves.
Literary themes to identify
Friendship in exile; crossing borders; imagined refuge and prejudice; faith and human dignity; the end of an oral song; uncertainty about what comes next.
Gaucho vocabulary in context
toldería (Indigenous settlement); cacique (Indigenous leader); tropilla (group of horses); ñandú (rhea); bolas or boleadoras (throwing device); guitarra (guitar).
What to notice in the narration
The closing shift from Fierro's voice to a narrator reporting the journey is crucial. Fierro's imagined Indigenous refuge should not be mistaken for historical testimony about every Indigenous community. The 1872 ending is open: the fate of both men is withheld until the 1879 continuation. Even the journey is not a simple liberation, since the characters leave family, law and community behind.
Reading-comprehension and discussion questions
- Why does Fierro describe himself and Cruz as made from the same wood?
- Which claims about life beyond the frontier are Fierro's expectations rather than verified facts?
- What does breaking the guitar signify at the end of a poem that began with singing?
- What information does the final narrator provide about the crossing, and what remains unknown?
Support answers with details from the original canto. Different interpretations may be justified if the quoted passages and narrative context support them.
Sources and further reading
Primary source: José Hernández, El gaucho Martín Fierro (1872), Canto 13, reproduced from the site's structured Spanish corpus. Summary and questions are original English educational commentary, not quoted authorial explanations.
Original canto · Summary of both parts · Character guide · All study guides