Curuguaty (; originally called Villa de San Isidro Labrador de los Reyes Católicos de Curuguaty) is a city and a district in the
Canindeyú Department
Canindeyú () is a department in Paraguay. The capital is the city of Salto del Guairá.
Canindeyú comes from the Guarani words Kaninde - macaw; ju - yellow, blue-and-yellow macaw (''Ara ararauna'').
Districts
The department is divided in 16 ...
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 ...
, that was the 4th and last capital of Paraguay during the
Paraguayan War
The Paraguayan War, also known as the War of the Triple Alliance, was a South American war that lasted from 1864 to 1870. It was fought between Paraguay and the Triple Alliance of Argentina, the Empire of Brazil, and Uruguay. It was the deadlies ...
in 1869–1870.
Toponimy
The meaning of the word “Curuguaty” is “place of the Curugua”, ''curugua'' (Latin: ''
Cucurbita odorifera'') being a plant very common in the area.
Geography
Canindeyú Department has a richness in flora and is surrounded by the
Mbaracayú Mountains, which have an average altitude of 400 meters above ocean level. It is possible, in this place, to appreciate the biological diversity of the
Atlantic Forest, Spanish: Mata atlántica.
Climate
In summer, the temperature reaches 39 °C and in winter drops to 0 °C. The average in the entire department is 21 °C. The precipitations are very frequent and abundant.
Demographics
The city counts with a population of 65.310 inhabitants, 34.137 are men and 31.172 are women, according to the projections of the Statistics, Polls and Census General Direction. A great number of the inhabitants are originating from neighbouring
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
.
History
Curuguaty was found on May 15, 1712, by Juan Gregorio de Bazán y Pedraza, with the name of “Villa de San Isidro Labrador de los Reyes Católicos de Curuguaty”, on the banks of the Curuguaty River.
In this city lived during the government of
Dr. Francia, the founder and first dictator of Paraguay, in his exile for over 30 years,
José Gervasio Artigas
José Gervasio Artigas Arnal (; June 19, 1764 – September 23, 1850) was a political leader, military general, statesman and national hero of Uruguay and the broader Río de la Plata region.
He fought in the Latin American wars of in ...
, the liberator of
Uruguay
Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...
. During the War against the Triple Alliance, the
Marshall López declared Curuguaty as his last and the 4th capital of Paraguay and the Vice-President
Domingo Francisco Sánchez Corvalán settled in the place. López settled his troops near Curuguaty on the banks of the Itandey Stream, when he was going towards the Amambay Cordillera, where the last battles would be fought during the war.
Since the early years of the new millennium ''landless peasants'' fight for their land, which was in part at least given in the past decades to influential and wealthy men and women of the political upper classes of Paraguay. The last clashes occurred in June 2012 and cost the lives of at least eleven peasants and six policemen.
Personalities
A martyr of the Paraguayan Independence,
Mauricio José Troche, is a native of Curuguaty.
How to get there
Curuguaty is located 240 kilometers from Asunción; the way of access is through Route No. III “Gral. Elizardo Aquino” and through Route No. X “Las Residentas”, which communicates the departments’ capital with
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 ...
. Also, the superhighway of Itaipu, communicates the city with
Alto Paraná
The musical term alto, meaning "high" in Italian (Latin: ''altus''), historically refers to the contrapuntal part higher than the tenor and its associated vocal range. In 4-part voice leading alto is the second-highest part, sung in choruses by ...
and
Presidente Franco.
Reaching the city, a not paved detour to the left leads to
Villa Ygatimí,
Ypehú,
Itanará and the Mbaracayú Forest National Reserve.
References
* Geografía Ilustrada del Paraguay, Distribuidora Arami SRL; 2007. {{ISBN, 99925-68-04-6.
* Geografía del Paraguay, Primera Edición 1999, Editorial Hispana Paraguay SRL.
External links
About the violence in July 2012 SENATUR
Populated places in the Canindeyú Department
Populated places established in 1712