[1][2][3] It’s a typical countryside dish prepared on special occasions in Argentina, specifically in the Catamarca, Salta, Tucumán and Jujuy provinces among the Gauchos.
The term “guatiar”, “guatear” or “huatear” comes from huatia, itself from the Quechua wathiya or huatiya, referring to an earth oven of Pre-Columbian origin used in the Andean region.
[7][8] The origins of the wathiya or earth-oven, date back to pre-Columbian South America; the first Western chronicler to speak of the huatia was the priest Francisco de Ávila who around the year 1600, when compiling the myths existing among the people of Huarochirí, in the mountains of Lima, in the manuscript Huarochirí Manuscript, pointed out the figure of the god Huatiacuri, more strictly watya quriq (watya collector), son of the powerful Pariaqaqa, who was said to hide his divinity in a miserable appearance and only fed on potatoes roasted in heated earth ovens called huatias or huatiyas, which is why it received that name.
The beef-head, after being cleaned and drained, is marinated or seasoned with chopped garlic, oregano, salt (to taste), and ground chili.
Then it’s wrapped in a damp cloth (preferably burlap canvas soaked in water) and then it is placed into the pit and covered with embers.