Yerba Mate Advertising and Changing Visions of Modernity in Argentina, 1939–58

Mate, the National Infusion of Argentina and an important marker of identity, is grounded in tradition. Made from the leaves and small twigs of the yerba mate tree, mate originated with the indigenous peoples of Paraguay and it evolved into the drink of mixed-race gauchos in the nineteenth century and a basic necessity for Argentine workers in the early twentieth century. Despite its central role in Argentine culture, per capita consumption of yerba mate declined for much of the twentieth century (the 1950s through the 1980s). This essay uses yerba mate advertising as a tool to explore the roots for the decline in yerba mate’s popularity. The 150 Salus brand yerba mate advertisements from 1939 to 1958 show the company’s evolving efforts to market yerba mate as a modern beverage based on the milieu of the period. Despite intensive marketing, the company failed to change the consumption patterns of Argentine consumers and their associations of yerba mate with poverty and backwardness persisted. This essay not only seeks to explain why the consumption of what is today Argentina’s National Infusion declined over much of the twentieth century, it also contributes to our understanding of how race, gender, class, and the urban/rural divide influenced the evolving understanding of modernity in Argentina from the 1930s through the 1950s.