What is "quebracho"

Quebracho \Que*bra"cho\, n. [Sp.] (Bot.) A Chilian apocynaceous tree ( Aspidosperma Quebracho); also, its bark, which is used as a febrifuge, and for dyspn[oe]a of the lung, or bronchial diseases; -- called also white quebracho, to distinguish it from the red quebracho, a Mexican anacardiaceous tree ( Loxopterygium Lorentzii) whose bark is said to have similar properties.
--J. Smith (Dict. Econ. Plants).

n. Any of several trees of southern South America with produce very hard wood rich in (l en tannin), especially those of the genus ''(m mul Schinopsis)''.

Quebracho may refer to:

• Quebracho (film), an Argentine 1974 film directed by Ricardo Wullicher
• Quebracho (group), a left-wing Argentine group
• Quebracho (money), an unofficial monetary unit in the Argentine Chaco Province during the economical crisis in 2001-2002
• Quebracho tree, different trees
• Quebracho, Uruguay, a place in Paysandú Department
• Quebrachos Department, a department in Santiago del Estero Province, Argentina
• El Quebracho, a caserio (hamlet) in Dulce Nombre de María municipality in El Salvador

Quebracho (named after a type of wood known for its hardness) is a far-left group in Argentina that self-proclaims itself as bolivarian. Its official name is Movimiento Patriótico Revolucionario Quebracho (Revolutionary Patriotic Movement Quebracho). According to their own publications, Quebracho define themselves as "a political organization that fights for the national and social liberation of our country. For a just peace, economic independence, and political sovereignty. For the National Anti-Imperialist Revolution."

Quebracho promotes the abolition of private property and the reduction of poverty. Its aggressive and confrontational tactics have brought it into conflict with some other leftist organizations, and it is not included in any political coalition on the left side of the spectrum.

Fernando Esteche, who also teaches at the Faculty of Journalism in La Universidad de La Plata, is the top public leader of Quebracho. He was prosecuted and jailed on charges stemming from political violence during a march on April 5, 2007, but was freed in October 2007.

In unrelated charges, Esteche and fellow Quebracho leader "Boli" were sentenced to more than three years for "political intimidation" in the murder of an Argentine governor. The sentence was affirmed on appeal by the Argentine Supreme Court and was scheduled to begin by December 3, 2013.

Quebracho is an Argentine 1974 film directed by Ricardo Wullicher. It tells the story of "La Forestal," an English company extracting Quebracho trees between 1900 and 1963 in the northern province of Santa Fe. The wood and its main product, tannin, were highly coveted between 1918 and 1945 and became a focal point of political and social struggles connected with the evolution of trade unionism, as well as the emergence of the Radical Civic Union and Peronism. It is considered an iconic film of its period, if now somewhat dated.