Mauricio left his job and moved to the countryside: “There is always work if you have the tools and the will”

At 37, Mauricio left his job at an automotive factory and moved from Buenos Aires to the Córdoba countryside, seeking a life built around autonomy rather than the security of a traditional salary.

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This is the city and this is what living at a fast pace is like. The city is this, chaos, running and running and running.

He now lives in La Paz, in the Traslasierra region, where he is building a self-sufficient home using bioconstruction techniques. His walls use quincha, a mixture of wood, straw and mud. He had no previous construction training, but began learning by working with the natural resources available on his land.

The property has no conventional water or electricity services. Mauricio built drainage to collect or redirect water when it rains and installed a small solar panel for power. His first structure was not part of the house itself, but a mud oven, which he considered essential for preparing his daily food.

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self-retired and at peace

The move followed growing discomfort with urban life, and a motorcycle accident became a turning point. Mauricio recalled sitting on a street curb and thinking, “This is the city and this is what living at a fast pace is like. The city is this, chaos, running and running and running.” He had previously written that he wanted to be “self-retired and at peace” by the age of 40, but reached that project of freedom earlier than planned.

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There is always work if you have the tools and the will.

Leaving his job at Fiat meant confronting the doubts of people who value a regular monthly wage. Mauricio, however, says not having a fixed job gives him the freedom to do what he likes. He works in gardening, cooking and various repairs. “There is always work if you have the tools and the will,” he says.

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Not having a fixed job gives you the peace of being able to do what you like.