Pope Leo XIV landed in Montevideo on 6 November 2026. It was the start of his first trip to Latin America as pope, and the first papal visit to Uruguay since 1988. Two young Catholics, one Uruguayan and one Argentine, had prepared a gift for him: a mate. The letter that goes with it presents mate as the River Plate's symbol of friendship and closeness.
It is a perfect image, and a revealing one. It speaks of ritual and belonging. It says nothing about the market. And it leaves someone out: a few hundred kilometres north of Montevideo, the same leaf has another name, another way of being prepared, and a state law that makes it an official symbol.
The full article looks at chimarrão in gaúcho culture, at how mate moved from the gourd to the energy-drink can, at why the ingredient may matter more than the brand, and at what Europe checks before any of it reaches the shelf.