Beyond the Pampas: In Search of Patagonia

Much in this book, particularly in the second half, absorbed and fascinated me. By the end I felt like I had discovered the indigenous roots of Patagonia along with Herrad. – New Welsh Review

Beyond the Pampas is an entrancing and highly unusual account of a journey to the ends of the earth in search of a dream.

Imogen Herrad sets off in search of the descendents of the nineteenth century colony of Welsh settlers in Patagonia, in the deep south of Argentina, and discovers that Welsh-speaking communities, proud of their heritage, still exist there today. She also discovers a country and a way of life hugely different from her European experience.

Her explorations lead Herrad beyond the Welsh to discover the even more remarkable story of the Mapuche, Tehuelche and other indigenous tribes, who have suffered the all too familiar fate of colonised peoples. This unexpected direction gives Herrad a new perspective on her own life and those of others, as she ends her travels standing on a Patagonian hillside, part of an ancient Mapuche ceremony of the land.

Beyond the Pampas is an emotional, compelling, at times funny, at times painful, but always beautifully told story of a still untamed land and its people.