Considered to be the first realistic story coming from the Río de la Plata, El matadero describes Argentinean society in the first decade of the 19th century. Set in the area near Buenos Aires during Lent, the story starts during a heavy downpour, which makes the use of the slaughter house – the main business of the town – impossible, and thus creates a crisis in the town. In this story, Echeverría offers a critical insight into society at that time and its principal institutions: state and church.