Our itinerary in Paraguay took us from the Brazilian border at Ciudad del Este to Asuncion, the capital.
A brief history of Paraguay
Paraguay is a landlocked country bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the centre of the country from north to south. The indigenous Guaraní had been living in Paraguay for at least a millennium before the Spanish conquered the territory in the 16th century. Spanish settlers and Jesuit missions introduced Christianity and Spanish culture to the region. Paraguay was a peripheral colony of the Spanish Empire, with few urban centers and settlers.
Following independence from Spain in 1811, Paraguay was ruled by a series of dictators who generally implemented isolationist and protectionist policies
Then followed the disastrous Paraguayan War (1864–1870): the country lost 60 to 70 percent of its population through war and disease, and about 140,000 square kilometers of territory to Argentina and Brazil. It is difficult to find a map of Paraguay's pre-war boundaries, and I could only find one. Solano López led the nation into the Paraguayan War in 1864. Paraguay fought against Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay, and was overwhelmingly defeated in 1870 after five years of the bloodiest war in South America. William D. Rubinstein wrote: "The normal estimate is that of a Paraguayan population of somewhere between 450,000 and 900,000, only 220,000 survived the war, of whom only 28,000 were adult males." Paraguay also suffered extensive territorial losses to Brazil and Argentina. The Battle of Tuyutí, May 1866. During the pillaging of Asunción (Saqueo de Asunción) in 1869, the Brazilian Imperial Army packed up and transported the Paraguayan National Archives to Rio de Janeiro. Brazil's records from the war have remained classified. This has made Paraguayan history in the Colonial and early National periods difficult to research and study. Since the war, the Colorado Party and Liberal Party maintain independent official versions of Paraguayan history
In the 1930s, Paraguay fought the Chaco War against Bolivia, in part to try to reclaim some of the land lost. It defeated Bolivia and re-established sovereignty over the region called the Chaco. It forfeited additional territorial gains in the Mato Grosso as a price of peace.
Through the 20th century, Paraguay continued to endure a succession of authoritarian governments, culminating in the regime of Alfredo Stroessner, who led South America's longest-lived military dictatorship from 1954 to 1989. He was toppled in an internal military coup, and free multi-party elections were organized and held for the first time in 1993. A year later, Paraguay joined Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay to found Mercosur, a regional economic collaborative.
Stroessner
Alfredo Stroessner November 3, 1912 – August 16, 2006) was a Paraguayan military officer who served as President of Paraguay from 1954 to 1989. He was born in Encarnation, Paraguay, of German born parents. He led an army coup in 1954. His 35-year-long rule is the second longest in modern Latin American history, behind only Fidel Castro in Cuba. . In 1954, he ousted Federico Chávez, becoming president after winning an election in which he was the sole candidate. An arch anti-communist, Stroessner had the backing of the United States for most of his time in power. The constitution was modified in 1967 and 1977 after his six consecutive elections to the presidency. In 1988, he won an unprecedented eighth term on a majority, according to official figures, of between 90 and 98 percent of the registered vote.
Stroessner provided refuge for Argentina's Juan Perón and Nicaragua's Anastasio Somoza Debayle (later assassinated in Paraguay). Stroessner was ousted from power in 1989 in a military coup led by General Andrés Rodríguez and forced into exile in Brazil, where he spent the last 17 years of his life. Following a bout of pneumonia, he tried to return to his homeland to die, but was rejected by the government. He died in Brasília on August 16, 2006 of complications from a hernia operation.
Soon after taking office, Stroessner declared a state of siege, which allowed him to suspend civil liberties and rule by decree. It was renewed every 90 days until 1987. Although the state of siege was technically restricted to the capital after 1970, the courts ruled that anyone charged with security offenses could be brought to the capital and indicted under the state-of-siege provisions. A devoted anti-communist, he justified this action as a necessary tool to protect the country.
On February 3, 1989, only six months after being sworn in for his eighth full term, Stroessner was ousted in a bloody coup d'état led by General Andrés Rodríguez, his closest confidant for over three decades. One reason for the coup was that the generals feared one of Stroessner's offspring would succeed him. Of the two, Alfredo was a cocaine addict and Gustavo, a pilot, was loathed for being homosexual. A more outlandish rumour was that Lino Oviedo threatened Rodríguez with a grenade if he did not launch the coup. The two generals, Rodríguez and Oviedo, fought a brief artillery duel over Asunción
Jesuit ruins
The Ruins in Paraguay are, possibly, the best preserved, and include Jesús, San Cosme, Damián and Trinidad Missions. To get to these places it is necessary to take Route No. 6 from Encarnación. The entries to all the missions are signaled on the route. The site of the ruins of Jesús are 12 km from the main road
Santísima Trinidad del Paraná Ruins The Santísima Trinidad del Paraná Mission is considered the biggest of all the missions. Natives that came from the missions of San Carlos (nowadays in territory of Argentina) were its founders in 1712. This mission has the biggest built temple among all the Jesuit Missions, with an altar carved in a one piece stone. In it is represented the persecution of the natives at that time. It has a Central Square, the town’s place of meeting, and a museum, located in the old sacristy: in this there are many sculptures and a scale model of the mission. These ruins are being restored and maintained constantly. It is a World Heritage site
Jesús de Tavarangue Ruins. The church of Reducción de Jesús (Jesus’ Mission) was in the process of being built at the time that the Jesuits were expelled of Río de la Plata Province. It would have been one of the biggest churches of that time, with a central structure of 70 meter long and 24 meters wide. It would have been a replica of the Church of Loyola, in Italy. The doors of access, three located in the front, are very impressive. It was declared WSorld Heritage in 1993.The stone pulpit, the friezes of angels, the rose shaped carved stone in the lintels in the doors and the bell tower stand out in its architecture. The ruins of these missions show a way of life and education marked by its own singular style.
Encarnacion Lately Encarnación has become the tourism capital of the country, with its wide beaches and newly completed waterfront boardwalk attracting more than 300,000 people each summer. It is also the Carnival Capital of Paraguay, a yearly celebration of mostly Brazilian music and dance in February generally. The city is located near the Jesús and Trinidad Jesuit Ruins, declared World Heritage Sites by UNESCO in 1993.
Asuncion. Most of old Asuncion has disappeared, and very little remains of any nice buildings. It seems to be more about smart suburbs, ritzy shopping malls and fashionable nightclubs. And you do not need to come half way across the world to see those.