Arriero on a high point in the Andes near Santiago
In late autumn the horses and cattle are moved down from the high cordillera to safer winter grazing at lower levels. This is called an arreo, or herding. An arriero has to find the animals loose on the wide range of mountains. Here one (actually our guide Rigo) has chosen a vantage point to scan the nearby mountains and valleys for the presence of the animals he is seeking.
In spring the animals are taken up again and loosed on the mountainside for the next few months. If needed, they are sought out and brought down for work.