A cart is a type of cart (vehicle with two wheels, frame that supports the load and rods that allow to hook the draft). In the specific case of carts, they are narrow and long carts, lower than others, which have a plane that extends to the lance where the yoke is held.
According to DigoPaul, carts are vehicles that move by animal traction. Many times the animal chosen to pull a cart is a horse, although oxen, mules or other species can also be used.
For many years, wagons and other types of carts were the main means of movement for human beings. They not only allowed the transfer of people, but also merchandise and other types of cargo.
A group of wagons and the workshop where these vehicles are manufactured, restored and repaired are called the carretería. The person who manufactures leading carts or animals pulling these vehicles, meanwhile, are known as Carretero.
With regard to the origins of the cart, they go back to four thousand years before Christ in Western Asia and Europe, and three thousand years in the Indus Valley. It reached the American continent much later, approximately in the 15th century, together with the invasions of the Spanish conquerors; It is worth mentioning that until then it is said that the Native Americans supported their own loads without exploiting any animal, something truly worthy of admiration.
At various times in history, humans have resorted to relatively small handcarts. One of the most common examples is found in the migration of Mormons to Utah, in North America, which took place between the years 1856 and 1860. In the same way, carts called rickshaw, pulled by people, are used even to the day of today in some cities in Southeast Asia for short trips.
When a leader of ancient Rome suffered defeat, he was usually transported in a cart for the duration of the display of the victorious general.
We must not forget that no animal chooses the life of a slave to which human beings submit it, just as we would not do it in our right mind. Behind the supposed charm of a horse or cart ride, very popular in various parts of the world as two of the many tourist attractions, is the sad reality of animals, who spend endless hours tied up, boring waits between trips, no They can run or walk freely, establish social relationships with other beings of their species, who must suffer heat, cold, rain and snowfall.
Although animal abuse should not be accepted in any historical context, it is much more difficult to justify today than it was several centuries ago. With technological and industrial advances, we can achieve fully automatic products that serve us for any of the traditional tasks and for many more that would have been impossible in the past.
In colloquial language, someone or something that moves slowly (due to the comparison between the speeds reached by carts and motor vehicles) is often described as a cart. For example: “This car is a wagon! I don’t understand why he can’t go faster ”, “ The new forward of the team is a cart ”, “ Hurry, cart, we’re going to be late! ” .
Punta Carretas, finally, is the name of a neighborhood in Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay. The old penitentiary in this area, opened in 1915 and closed in 1986, is currently an important commercial center: Punta Carretas Shopping Center.
