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A 'facón' is a dagger worn at the back and tucked into the belt of the gaucho in order to be quickly drawn with the right hand. Used in the South American pampas, they are often seen with a decorated metal hilt and sheath. The ''facón'' could measure some fifty centimeters in length, and there are even examples of knives up to seventy five centimeters long.
The ''facón'' was an important tool of the gaucho and the main article of combat for the ''duelo criollo''. When used in this context, one hand held the knife, and the ''poncho'' was wrapped about the opposite arm to absorb cuts and stabs, as seen in the photograph to the right.
As Charles Darwin said of the distinctive men who wore and used the ''facón'', "Many quarrels arose, which from the general manner of fighting with the knife often proved fatal."

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References

References

★ Darwin's Journal