criollismo, 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, Rufino Blanco-Fombona, Benito Lynch, and Ricardo Güiraldes. The word is a derivative of the Spanish criollo, “a person native to the Americas” or “a Creole.”