preoccupation in the arts and especially the literature of Latin America with native scenes and types. The term often refers to a nationalistic preoccupation with such matter. The gaucho literature of Argentina was a form of criollismo. Writers associated with the movement included Tomás Carrasquilla (Carrasquilla, Tomás), Rufino Blanco-Fombona (Blanco-Fombona, Rufino), Benito Lynch (Lynch, Benito), and Ricardo Güiraldes (Güiraldes, Ricardo). The word is a derivative of the Spanish criollo, “a person native to the Americas” or “a Creole.”