Altos is a city and district of the
Cordillera Department
Cordillera () is a department in Paraguay. The capital is the city of Caacupé.
History
During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries this area of the country was going through a serious crisis due to population bellicosity of the Indians f ...
,
Paraguay
Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...
.
Etymology
It is also called “Altos de Ybypytaré”, which in
Guaraní Guarani, Guaraní or Guarany may refer to
Ethnography
* Guaraní people, an indigenous people from South America's interior (Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Bolivia)
* Guaraní language, or Paraguayan Guarani, an official language of Paraguay
* ...
means “path of the wind”, previously called “San Lorenzo de la Cordillera de los Altos”, one of the oldest cities of
Paraguay
Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...
. It is known as the “Terrace of the country” because of its high altitude.
Climate
The climate in this department is mild and dry. The average
temperature
Temperature is a physical quantity that expresses quantitatively the perceptions of hotness and coldness. Temperature is measurement, measured with a thermometer.
Thermometers are calibrated in various Conversion of units of temperature, temp ...
is 22° Celsius, in summer reaches 39 °C and in winter drops to 3 °C.
Demography
Altos’ population is 13,114 in total, 6,862 men and 6,252 women, according to information provided by the Statistics, Polls and Census General Direction.
History
There are two versions of its foundation. The first tells that
Domingo Martínez de Irala
Domingo Martínez de Irala (; c. 1509 Bergara, Gipuzkoa – c. 1556 Asunción, Paraguay) was a Spanish Basque people, Basque conquistador.
He headed for America in 1535 enrolled in the expedition of Pedro de Mendoza and participated in the foundi ...
founded it, on August 10, 1538. The second one tells that it was Friar
Luis de Bolaños
Luis de Bolaños (1549? – 11 October 1629) was a Spanish Franciscan friar and missionary evangelist, initiator of the system of reductions (indigenous towns) in Paraguay and northeastern Argentina.
Bolaños was born in Marchena, Seville, and ...
in 1580, with the distinction of being the first of many
reducciónes (Roman Catholic missions) of the
Guaraní people
Guarani are a group of culturally-related indigenous peoples of South America. They are distinguished from the related Tupi by their use of the Guarani language. The traditional range of the Guarani people is in present-day Paraguay between the ...
in Paraguay.
It was the hiding place of
Joseph Mengele
, allegiance =
, branch = Schutzstaffel
, serviceyears = 1938–1945
, rank = '' SS''-''Hauptsturmführer'' (Captain)
, servicenumber =
, battles =
, unit =
, awards =
, commands =
, s ...
, notorious
nazi
Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...
scientist
A scientist is a person who conducts scientific research to advance knowledge in an area of the natural sciences.
In classical antiquity, there was no real ancient analog of a modern scientist. Instead, philosophers engaged in the philosoph ...
and medical doctor, who experimented in the Nazi concentration camps. Mengele and his wife flew to Altos in 1959, after the government of
West Germany
West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...
discovered their home in
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
,
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
, and he received the notification for arrest. His wife did not adapt to this new life and left him. In 1960, he panicked after hearing news of the interest of the nazi hunter in his capture, and with kidnapping of
Adolf Eichmann, left Altos to go to
Hohenau in the South of
Paraguay
Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...
.
Economy
The Altos is known for the harvesting of
pharmacological
Pharmacology is a branch of medicine, biology and pharmaceutical sciences concerned with drug or medication action, where a drug may be defined as any artificial, natural, or endogenous (from within the body) molecule which exerts a biochemica ...
plants and
coffee
Coffee is a drink prepared from roasted coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content. It is the most popular hot drink in the world.
Seeds of ...
, as well as general agriculture, woodcraft, and the breeding of horned cattle.
Tourism
The church is from the time of the
Jesuit Missions and in honor of its patron saint, San Lorenzo (Saint Lawrence).
It is located in Heroes' Square in the center of the city.
Marshal
José Félix Estigarribia
José Félix Estigarribia Insaurralde (February 21, 1888 in Caraguatay – September 7, 1940 in Altos) was a Paraguayan military officer, politician and president. He was Commander in Chief of the Paraguayan Army during the Chaco War (1 ...
's fatal plane crash was near the city of Altos, by the Aguaí Stream.
The most important artisan production is the carving of timbó wood in the shape of animals, mythological beings and masks that are later painted with intense colors. The masks became famous as “kamba ra’anga”, an image of the mulatto, used in the re-enactments of the battles between the kambá (mulattos) and the guaicurúes (natives), during the festivities of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, on July 28 and 29th in Itaguazú, located 2 kilometers from Altos. This is an important festivity of colonial origins in which are also organized games and prepared typical food.
The route to access the city provides a beautiful landscape for visitors to enjoy, because it goes up a chain of mountains and looks down onto the
Ypacaraí Lake
Ypacaraí Lake is a major body of water located in Paraguay, about east of the capital, Asunción. The lake lies in the western part of the Asunción-Sapucai-Villarrica graben, a tectonic depression from the Mesozoic Era, and drains to the no ...
and the exuberant vegetation surrounding it. “The Tukanga Route” is an outing offered by the Municipality and it is called that way because of the abundance of “tucanes” (toucans) in the area. The region is distinctive for its richness in natural resources.
There is also the Saldivar Stream, located in a natural reserve with more than 4 hectares, 8 kilometers from the center of city.
The farm “El Gaucho” has 4 hectares of abundant vegetation, with modern and comfortable amenities that recreate colonial times.
The rural hotel “La Grappa” offers visitors the natural environment of the mountainous country, in addition to nights of Paraguayan and Latin American folklore.
People from Altos
Altos is the hometown of the internationally renowned artist
Luis Alberto del Paraná. His house is located in the historical area of the city. Luis Alberto traveled through all
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...
, entertaining with his music and receiving important awards for his records.
How to get to Altos
Altos is situated on the asphalt road turning off from
Ruta 2 near
Ypacaraí
Ypacaraí is a town in the Central Department of Paraguay on the Lake Ypacarai. On the Paraguayan highway system, it is located between Asunción and Caacupé, near Areguá and San Bernardino. Known as the "City of Folklore" after the Ypacara ...
, passing
San Bernardino
San Bernardino (; Spanish for "Saint Bernardino") is a city and county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States. Located in the Inland Empire region of Southern California, the city had a population of 222,101 in the 2020 cen ...
, Altos, Loma Grande, Nueva Colombia and leading in
Ruta 3 in
Emboscada. There is also an asphalt road connecting Altos with
Atyrá
Atyrá is one of the oldest cities of Paraguay, alongside Yaguarón, Villarrica, Encarnación, Pilar, San Lorenzo, Humaitá among others. Atyrá is 61 KM East from the country's capital, Asunción, located in the Altos Cordillera, as it is ...
.
The new ECO Vía highway connects
Luque
Luque () is a city in Central Department of Paraguay, part of the Gran Asunción metropolitan area. Both 1635 and 1750 have been recorded as dates of its founding.
It was temporarily the capital of Paraguay in 1868 during the Paraguayan War b ...
with San Bernardino. If you can find your way, this is now the fastest connection from Asunción to Altos, especially if you are arriving from the airport area.
A bus line connects Altos to
Gran Asunción
Greater Asunción ( es, Gran Asunción), is the metropolitan area of the capital city of Paraguay, Asunción.
It consists of twenty cities: Asunción itself, the capital, and the surrounding cities in Central Department. One in three Paraguayans ...
. LOMA GRANDE (yellow buses) circle line starts in Loma Grande, serves Altos,
San Bernardino
San Bernardino (; Spanish for "Saint Bernardino") is a city and county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States. Located in the Inland Empire region of Southern California, the city had a population of 222,101 in the 2020 cen ...
, and
Ypacaraí
Ypacaraí is a town in the Central Department of Paraguay on the Lake Ypacarai. On the Paraguayan highway system, it is located between Asunción and Caacupé, near Areguá and San Bernardino. Known as the "City of Folklore" after the Ypacara ...
, then follows
Ruta 2 to
San Lorenzo, continues to
Fernando de la Mora (calle Mcal. Estigarribia), heads north in Calle Última of
Asunción
Asunción (, , , Guarani: Paraguay) is the capital and the largest city of Paraguay.
The city stands on the eastern bank of the Paraguay River, almost at the confluence of this river with the Pilcomayo River. The Paraguay River and the Bay o ...
, passes
Mariano Roque Alonso
Mariano Roque Alonso Romero (16 August 1792 Ybytimí – 7 August 1853) was President of the Provisional Junta of Paraguay from 9 February 1841 to 14 March 1841. On 14 March 1841, he established a government ruling jointly with Carlos Antonio L ...
,
Limpio, follows
Ruta 3 to
Emboscada, turns off to the Loma Grande starting point, turns round and covers the whole way in the opposite direction. The former ALTOS bus line (green buses) was discontinued. To get to Altos from central
Asunción
Asunción (, , , Guarani: Paraguay) is the capital and the largest city of Paraguay.
The city stands on the eastern bank of the Paraguay River, almost at the confluence of this river with the Pilcomayo River. The Paraguay River and the Bay o ...
, take one of the plenty buses passing calle Mcal.
(Mariscal) Estigarribia of
Fernando de la Mora where you may change to the LOMA GRANDE bus line towards San Lorenzo.
References
* Illustrated Geography of Paraguay, 2007. Arami S. R. L. Distributor.
* Geography of Paraguay, First Edition 1999, Editorial HIspana Paraguay S. R. L.
External links
Secretaria Nacional de Turismo
{{Authority control
Populated places in the Cordillera Department