The War of the Tea Houses, or How Welsh Heritage in Patagonia Became a Valuable Commodity

The present article will explore how globalization and its economic implications have resulted in the commodification of Welsh heritage in Gaiman, a small town in the Argentine province of Chubut, with a special focus on the collectivity-defining custom of \u27Welsh Tea\u27 as offered by the local tea houses. After providing some background on the history of the Welsh community in Patagonia, the discussion will consider how the surge in heritage and culture tourism and tourism-related services has added new value to Welsh Patagonian culture and encouraged the positioning of Welsh cultural products and other aspects of heritage as marketable commodities, and how the struggle to control a particularly lucrative heritage experience unleashed the so-called \u27War of the Tea Houses\u27

'Lighting up in distant regions the sacred fire of the Nation' : the Centenary celebrations (1910) and the Welsh community in Patagonia

This article discusses the marking of the Argentine Centenary (1910) amongst the Welsh community in Chubut, Argentina, according to reports by contemporary sources, exploring how key aspects of social memory are conveyed and sustained by ritual performance and commemoration