Atyrá is one of the oldest cities of
Paraguay
Paraguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay, is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the Argentina–Paraguay border, south and southwest, Brazil to the Brazil–Paraguay border, east and northeast, and Boli ...
, alongside
Yaguarón
Yaguarón is a city in Paraguay, located at the base of Yaguarón Hill in the Yaguarón District of Paraguarí Department, from the capital Asunción. The town began as a Franciscan reservation for the Guaraní Indians.
It contains a famo ...
,
Villarrica,
Encarnación,
Pilar,
San Lorenzo,
Humaitá among others. Atyrá is 61 KM East from the country's capital,
Asunción
Asunción (, ) 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 Asunción in the north ...
, located in the Altos Cordillera, as it is part 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 ...
, in Central Paraguay.
Original name and founding
Atyrá, initially named Atyhá, was founded by the governor
Domingo Martínez de Irala
Domingo Martínez de Irala (1509 – 3 October 1556) was a Spanish-Basque conquistador.
He headed for America in 1535 enrolled in the expedition of Pedro de Mendoza and participated in the founding of Buenos Aires. He explored the Paraná and ...
in 1538. The word "Atyhá" is of
Guaraní origin. It used to be a Guaraní village, and was named for being the meeting place of its residents.
Geography
Located in the Altos Cordillera, the landscape of the city has large extensions of rocks that form undulations.
It is bounded to the north by the city of
Arroyos y Esteros, to the north-east by
Loma Grande District
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 ...
, to the south by
Tobatí
Tobatí is a city in Tobatí District in the Cordillera Department, Paraguay.
History
Tobati was founded in June 1539 by Domingo Martínez de Irala. Opinions vary as to the meaning of the town's name. One is from the Spanish definition of t ...
, to the west by the
Altos, and to the south-east by
San Bernardino
San Bernardino ( ) is a city in and the 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 census, making it the List of ...
and
Ypacarai.
Climate
The climate is mild and dry. The average temperature is 22 °C, reaching 39 °C in the summer, and in winter dropping to 3 °C.
Demography
Atyrá has a population of 15,278 inhabitants, 8,004 men and 7,274 women, according to the projections of the national Statistics, Polls and Census General Direction (2008).
The population density is 70 inhabitants per kilometer.
Neighborhoods and districts
Most of the housing in Atyra is modern, but a few houses are left that date from the 19th century, showing the architecture and details of the typical constructions of the Colonial period, including houses with ceilings of hay and surrounded by trees and palms typical of the area.
The city is divided into an urban and a rural area. In the urban area the neighborhoods are:
* San Antonio
* San Blás
* Las Mercedes
* María Auxiliadora
In the rural area are these localities:
* Candia
* San Vicente
* Gral. Bernardino Caballero
* Zanja hú
* Comandante Ojeda
* Caacupemí
* Tacuaty
* Mbururú
* Candia Loma
* Catumbey
* Cauguá
* Potrero
* Monte Alto
History
The governor
Domingo Martínez de Irala
Domingo Martínez de Irala (1509 – 3 October 1556) was a Spanish-Basque conquistador.
He headed for America in 1535 enrolled in the expedition of Pedro de Mendoza and participated in the founding of Buenos Aires. He explored the Paraná and ...
founded the city in 1539. The act of foundation was made under the shadow of three Yvapovó plants, in a place that the natives used as a place of meeting, and from this came the name "Atyhá" that finally became "Atyrá". In 1580,
Franciscan
The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...
missionaries led by
Alonso de San Buenaventura and Fray
Luis de Bolaños, made the religious foundation of the localities:
Altos, Atyrá,
Tobatí
Tobatí is a city in Tobatí District in the Cordillera Department, Paraguay.
History
Tobati was founded in June 1539 by Domingo Martínez de Irala. Opinions vary as to the meaning of the town's name. One is from the Spanish definition of t ...
and
Yaguarón
Yaguarón is a city in Paraguay, located at the base of Yaguarón Hill in the Yaguarón District of Paraguarí Department, from the capital Asunción. The town began as a Franciscan reservation for the Guaraní Indians.
It contains a famo ...
.
Church of Atyrá
The church of Atyrá is nowadays a museum of
sacred art
Religious art is a visual representation of religious ideologies and their relationship with humans. Sacred art directly relates to religious art in the sense that its purpose is for worship and religious practices. According to one set of definit ...
that exhibits carvings in wood made by the natives since 1580, with a
Baroque
The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...
Hispano-Guaraní style.
The building of the church started around 1782, impelled by the priest Father Almada, who also encouraged the population of the city to develop some mechanical and artisan abilities.
The church building was remodeled in 1852 by command of the
President of Paraguay
The president of Paraguay (), officially known as the president of the Republic of Paraguay (), is the head of the executive branch of the government of Paraguay, serving as both head of state and head of government according to the Constitu ...
at that time,
Carlos Antonio López
Carlos Antonio López Ynsfrán (November 4, 1792 – September 10, 1862) was leader of Paraguay from 1841 to 1862. Under his presidency, he undertook a process of economic and political modernization for Paraguay, and ended the isolationist poli ...
. It was replaced in 1928 with the building that still stands today.
Since that time, the town developed and grew around the church, as was traditional with most of the towns in Paraguay throughout its history. Three of the four walls of the building served as the start of the new construction, and the wall that faces southeast does not present any sign of another edifice having been built.
The church is not located in the epicenter of the city; it is actually displayed more like the perspective of an avenue, as if it was the beginning or the end of the city. In its interior, it retains the
altar
An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religion, religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, Church (building), churches, and other places of worship. They are use ...
built in the 18th century and the statues that represent the
Virgin of Sorrows,
Saint Francis,
Saint Lucía,
Virgin of Candelaria
The Virgin of Candelaria or Our Lady of Candelaria ( or ''Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria'') (), popularly called ''La Morenita'', celebrates the Virgin Mary on the island of Tenerife, one of the Canary Islands (Spain). The center of worship is l ...
,
María Auxiliadora, and
Saint Catalina, among others, all created under the teaching of the Franciscan missionaries.
Economy
The population of the city works mostly in
agriculture
Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...
and
cattle
Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, bovid ungulates widely kept as livestock. They are prominent modern members of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus '' Bos''. Mature female cattle are calle ...
, and it also has
coconut oil
Coconut oil (or coconut fat) is an edible oil derived from the kernels, meat, and milk of the coconut palm fruit. Coconut oil is a white solid fat below around , and a clear thin liquid oil at higher temperatures. Unrefined varieties have a disti ...
factories and
sawmill
A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logging, logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes ...
s.
The people of the city also maintain the continuity of the artisan characteristics of the Colonial period, especially in
saddlery
Tack is equipment or accessories equipped on horses and other equines in the course of their use as domesticated animals. This equipment includes such items as saddles, stirrups, bridles, halters, reins, bits, and harnesses. Equipping a horse is ...
.
Arts and culture
This city is known for its artisan work in leather and fabric. Its artisans also work in the creation of wooden objects. Their production is displayed in a permanent market installed in the middle of the city.
The religious holiday of
Saint Francis of Assisi
Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone ( 1181 – 3 October 1226), known as Francis of Assisi, was an Italian mystic, poet and Catholic friar who founded the religious order of the Franciscans. Inspired to lead a Christian life of poverty, he ...
, the
patron saint
A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, Eastern Orthodoxy or Oriental Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, fa ...
of the city, is celebrated on October 4.
Traditional culture
A widely known story from
Paraguayan folklore has its origin in Atyrá: the story of the Indio José, who found himself trapped during a violent storm in the area and begged for help from the
Virgin of the Immaculate Conception. He is said to have miraculously found a tree to climb on the Zanja Hú Hill, which saved his life. The Indio José had promised the Virgin to carve an image for her, so he did, and that same image is now part of the altar in the religious center of Paraguay, the
Caacupé Basilica.
Artisan craftsmanship
Artisans' carving of wood is economically the second most important activity of the city. This artisan activity started in the colonial period, by the Franciscan missionaries. The usual themes for the carvings in wood include saints,
legendary creature
A legendary creature is a type of extraordinary or supernatural being that is described in folklore (including myths and legends), and may be featured in historical accounts before modernity, but has not been scientifically shown to exist.
In t ...
s,
animal
Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the Biology, biological Kingdom (biology), kingdom Animalia (). With few exceptions, animals heterotroph, consume organic material, Cellular respiration#Aerobic respiration, breathe oxygen, ...
s and others.
Many families also practice leather work including bags, backpacks, shoes, belts, saddles, and others.
Tourism
The city has a "Casa de la Cultura" (House of Culture), which displays the work made by the artisans of the city.
Atyrá has a variety of fauna and flora, especially in the area of Zanja Hú. It has several streams that are used for swimming and practicing water sports. Carumbey means "Turtle’s stream".
Buildings of patrimonial value
* Atyrá’s Church maintains the original Franciscan altar.
* Saint Francis Museum has a permanent exposition of historical photographs, objects and craftsmanship.
Municipality
Atyrá is known as the "Cleanest city of Paraguay", the seventh-most clean in America and the eighth-healthiest community in the world, certified by the
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization (WHO) is a list of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations which coordinates responses to international public health issues and emergencies. It is headquartered in Gen ...
. It was also declared "Ecological Capital of Paraguay" by a government decree. This followed a municipal initiative sponsoring the protection of the environment and ecological preservation among its inhabitants.
References
* Geografía del Paraguay - Editorial Hispana Paraguay S.R.L.- 1a. Edición 1999 - Asunción Paraguay
* Geografía Ilustrada del Paraguay - - Distribuidora Arami S.R.L.
External links
SENATUR
{{DEFAULTSORT:Atyra
Populated places in the Cordillera Department