Historically, the migratory history 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 ...

has been ambiguous, since it has had periods of large scale emigration as well as large waves of immigrants, primarily from

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 Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

. Ethnically, Paraguay is considered itself as a white and ''

mestizo (; ; fem. ) is a term used for racial classification to refer to a person of mixed Ethnic groups in Europe, European and Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous American ancestry. In certain regions such as Latin America, it may also r ...

'' country, the result of intermarriage between

Amerindians The Indigenous peoples of the Americas are the inhabitants of the Americas before the arrival of the European settlers in the 15th century, and the ethnic groups who now identify themselves with those peoples. Many Indigenous peoples of the Ame ...

(mainly

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 * ...

) and Europeans (mostly of

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

origin). Unlike neighbouring countries like

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 ...

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 ...

, Paraguay did not attract massive numbers of immigrants, but this does not imply that it has not been a recipient thereof. However, during the 19th century the country suffered a devastating war that greatly reduced its population, having to rise from the ashes and repopulate their territory with the help of immigrants. During the 20th century, Paraguay became a recipient of immigrants, especially Europeans fleeing wars occurring in the

Old World The "Old World" is a term for Afro-Eurasia that originated in Europe , after Europeans became aware of the existence of the Americas. It is used to contrast the continents of Africa, Europe, and Asia, which were previously thought of by the ...

, in search of a better life quality and peace. Among European groups in the country, this includes those of Spanish, German (many of them being

Mennonites Mennonites are groups of Anabaptist Christian church communities of denominations. The name is derived from the founder of the movement, Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland. Through his writings about Reformed Christianity during the Radic ...

), Italian, French and Slavic origin. Other groups included these of Levantine/Arabs roots (mostly Lebanese and Syrians) and East Asians (such as the Chinese and Japanese), among others. Today, immigration to Paraguay has not ceased, but the places of origin of the newcomers have changed. According to the 2002 census, 84,2% of immigrants in Paraguay come from Brazil and Argentina.

History

The first Europeans to arrive in what is now Paraguayan territory were Spaniards who left a palpable cultural heritage even today. The government of

Carlos Antonio López Carlos Antonio López Ynsfrán (November 4, 1792 – September 10, 1862) served as leader of Paraguay from 1841 to 1862. Early life López was born at Manorá (Asunción) on November 4, 1792, as one of eight children. He graduated from Real C ...

was marked by a period of international openness including immigration and attracting settlers to populate the country.

Settlement in the Paraguayan Chaco

Geographically, Paraguay can be divided into two parts: The Chaco or Western Region, and the Eastern Region, where

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 of ...

is located, as well as the other main cities of the country. The Chaco is the largest region by area with about 60% of the total territory but, on the other hand, it is the least populated region being home to less than 2% of the total population. Because of this, one of the main goals of the government of Paraguay was to populate this vast and immense region, which comprises the departments of Presidente Hayes, Boquerón, and

Alto Paraguay Alto Paraguay (; ''Upper Paraguay'') is the least populous as well as a sparsely populated Department (subnational entity), department of Paraguay. The capital is the town of Fuerte Olimpo. In 1992, the Chaco Department was merged with Alto Para ...

(also known in

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

as Upper Paraguay). The colonisation of the Chaco begins with the founding of several colonies, including Nueva Burdeos (french: Nouvelle-Bordeaux, present-day

Villa Hayes Villa Hayes () is a city in Paraguay, and is the capital of Presidente Hayes Department. Name Known as "the City of the Five Names", it was eventually named in honor of Rutherford B. Hayes, 19th President of the United States. Weather The c ...

), which was founded by French immigrants. The first settlers came to this colony through the port of Asunción in 1856.https://halshs.archives-ouvertes.fr/halshs-00530644/document

Figures

References

{{Americas topic, Immigration to Society of Paraguay

History

Settlement in the Paraguayan Chaco

Figures

See also

References