Piribebuy (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 * ...

, ''Pirĩvevúi'') is a town and

district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...

in 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 ...

. It is of spontaneous origin, though some attribute its founding to Martin Ledesma de Valderrama in 1636. Since its founding documents were burned 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 ...

, March 8, 1636, was later appointed as its Day of Establishment. Piribebuy is known for its Church "Dulce Nombre de Jesus", also known as "Ñandejará Guasu," and also has a small history museum dedicated to memorabilia from the

War of Triple Alliance 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 ...

, explaining Piribebuy's large role in the war, as well as memorabilia from the

Chaco War The Chaco War ( es, link=no, Guerra del Chaco, gn, Cháko ÑorairõFranciscan The Franciscans are a group of related Mendicant orders, mendicant Christianity, Christian Catholic religious order, religious orders within the Catholic Church. Founded in 1209 by Italian Catholic friar Francis of Assisi, these orders include t ...

Gaspar de Medina constructed, in 1744, a church dedicated to Santo Cristo de los Milagros (''Ñandejara Guasu'' in

, and in English, Holy Jesus of the Miracles). During the

the city served as the third capital of Paraguay starting December 8, 1868; August 12 of the following year, 1,600 poorly armed men, many of them mere children, spent 5 hours resisting the assault of 20,000 allied Brazilian, Argentine and Uruguayan forces intent on conquest, before finally being overwhelmed At the end of the battle, in which the Hospital de Sangre was burnt down, along with all the wounded inside, many prisoners were decapitated.

Etymology

In the Guarani language, Piribebuy, more correctly ''pirĩ vevuĩ,'' means either "smooth sensation" or "shivers." The name is thought to come from the fact that the area has many refreshing streams and cool breezes. Others suggest that the name comes from ''píri vevúi,'' which would mean light reeds or straws. This theory is supported by the Guaranis common use of botanical characters as place names. The Piribebuy River, which starts in Piribebuy, ends at the Paraguay River in a site that is full of reeds.

Location

Piribebuy is located between Route II and Route I, 13 km from Route I on the branch route Rogelio R. Benítez, which intersects Route I at km 64.

Subdivision

The town of Piribebuy is further divided into ''barrios'' (Boroughs) of Centro, Santa Ana, San Blas, Maria Auxilliadora and Virgen de Rosario. Besides the urban area, the district contains the following ''compañias'' (sub-municipalities): 4 de Julio, Cañada, Capilla Cué, Chololó, Colonia Piraretá, Cordillera, Guasú Rocái, Ita Guyrá, Itá Moroti, Itá Moroti Guasu, Itá Moroti'i, Itapé, Ita Ybú, Mcal. Estigarribia, Mcal. Lopéz, Naranjo, Ojopoi, Pasito, Paso Jhú, Presidente Franco, Tape Guasú, Yacarey, Yataity, Yhaca, Yhagui Guasú, Yhaguymi, Ykuá Porá, and Yruguá. The spelling change stems from the oral Guarani name being transliterated into written Spanish.

Demography

According to the 2002 National Census this district has a total population of 19594 inhabitants, from this total population 9617 lives in the urban area, almost half of it.

Economy

Tourism plays an important role in the economy of Piribebuy, as people come for the abundant nature that surrounds the city, its rich history, and its famous artisan crafts; most notably, the ''Poncho Para´í'' or ''Poncho de 60 listas'' ("Poncho of 60 stripes"), whose methods of fabrication are passed generation to generation.

Transportation

The town of Piribebuy is 10 km away from the National Route N° 2, which connects

Coronel Oviedo Coronel Oviedo (), locally simply known as Oviedo, is a city in east-central Paraguay. It is the capital of the Caaguazú Department, about 150 kilometers east of Asunción, and was founded in 1758. The city has a population of about 52,400 ( ...

with the country's capital.

Patron Saints

Piribebuy has two patron saints. The first is Ñandejará Guasu, who is celebrated on January 18, and the second is

Saint Blaise Blaise of Sebaste ( hy, Սուրբ Վլասի, ''Surb Vlasi''; el, Ἅγιος Βλάσιος, ''Agios Vlasios''; ) was a physician and bishop of Sebastea in historical Armenia (modern Sivas, Turkey) who is venerated as a Christian saint and m ...

, who is celebrated on February 3.

References

*The information in this article is based on a translation of its German equivalent, the Spanish equivalent, and interviews with the Director of the Comandante Pedro Paul Caballero Historical Museum. {{Coord, 25, 28, 45, S, 57, 03, 00, W, region:PY_type:city(10557), display=title Populated places in the Cordillera Department