The oxcart

The humble oxcart is very important in rural Paraguay. It is used to haul anything and everything. My father-in-law explained to me that his oxcart was very expensive and very old when he bought it years ago from an aunt. He had to walk with his son and two cows for hours to bring it back to his house. He told me that the wood to make the axle and the wheels lasts forever.

When we visited in the fall of 2008, one of the wheels wasn't in very good shape. That meant he couldn't haul nearly the weight it was once capable of hauling. He had to use it sparingly and every trip taken was dangerous as the wheel could just collapse. When we bought a bunch of bricks, we had to find someone to haul them because the oxcart just wasn't capable anymore. When we needed sand for construction, only a little could be brought at a time.

The oxcart is the single most important item my father-in-law has. Everyday it gets hitched to the cows and out to the fields they go. They come back with wood for their fires, food for the table, and various produce from the crops. Without the oxcart, life would be extremely more difficult for my family. So it had to be fixed.

We made arrangements to have the wheel repaired/replaced. Looking back, I really would like to have seen the whole process. I can't imagine how difficult it was to remove the old wheel and build up the new one. There most certainly was a significant amount of skill involved. I don't know how the metal ring (iron?) was removed from the outer part of the wheel and how it was put on around the new wheel. Or was the new wheel made within the ring? All I know is that it got fixed and we were all very happy about it.

Here's a picture of the oxcart in the backyard (I think this was pre-repair):

From Sluggo is YoYo

My father-in-law and nephews heading out to the fields:

From Sluggo is YoYo