Humaitá is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

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 county, counties, several municipality, municip ...

on the

Paraguay River The Paraguay River (''Ysyry Paraguái'' in Guarani language, Guarani, ''Rio Paraguai'' in Portuguese language, Portuguese, ''Río Paraguay'' in Spanish language, Spanish) is a major river in south-central South America, running through Brazil, Bol ...

in southern

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 ...

. 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 wa ...

, it served as the main Paraguayan stronghold from 1866 until its fall in August 1868. Up to 24,000 troops were housed there at one point. It served as the de facto residence of the Paraguayan government until March 1868. Being 275km south of

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 ...

, Hamuaitá has a great historical and cultural heritage, with portions of the old

fortification A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Lati ...

s—including some large earthworks—still visible. It also possesses the remains of a

Jesuit The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

church dating from the 18th century.

Toponymy

Humaitá comes from the

Guaraní Guarani, Guaraní or Guarany may refer to Ethnography * Guaraní people, an indigenous people from South America's interior (Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Bolivia) * Guarani language, or Paraguayan Guarani, an official language of Paraguay * G ...

words "" (meaning ancient) and "" (meaning stone).

Geography

The predominant geography in the zone is a sheet of low areas, of whitish land, without prominent waviness. Due to the proximity of the

, the increase of the waves overwhelms the whole bordering zone, therefore the geopolitical importance that the city had in the past.

Climate

The climate is subtropical, with temperatures reaching -2 °C in winter and 40 °C in the summer.

History

The remains of the old

fortress of Humaitá The Fortress of Humaitá (1854–68), known metaphorically as the Rock of Gibraltar, Gibraltar of South America, was a Paraguayan military installation near the mouth of the River Paraguay. A strategic site without equal in the region, "a for ...

are located on the left side of the Paraguay River, approximately 430 km to the south of Asunción. During the

(1864–1870) this fortress was important because it controlled river access to the capital,

. The defenses of Humaitá were begun by

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 ...

(1790–1862). The ruins of the church and possibly the town museum are the only remains of the installation.

Economy

The inhabitants fish, raise cattle, and practice

small-scale agriculture A smallholding or smallholder is a small farm operating under a small-scale agriculture model. Definitions vary widely for what constitutes a smallholder or small-scale farm, including factors such as size, food production technique or technolo ...

. Local crafts include vases, gauntlets, pictures in burlap, and articles made from vegetable sponges. Carpets, tapestries, tablecloths, and crocheted apparel are also produced.

Transportation

Humaitá may be reached via

Route 1 The following highways are numbered 1. For roads numbered A1, see list of A1 roads. For roads numbered B1, see list of B1 roads. For roads numbered M1, see List of M1 roads. For roads numbered N1, see list of N1 roads. For roads numbered S ...

from

, after reaching

San Ignacio San Ignacio (the Spanish language name of St. Ignatius (disambiguation), St. Ignatius) is a common toponym in parts of the world where that language is or was spoken: Argentina * San Ignacio, Argentina, Misiones Province * San Ignacio Miní, a ...

, take the detour to Pilar. Humaitá also may be reached through the new

Villeta Villeta is a city of Paraguay in the Central Department, on the banks of Paraguay River. It is an important industrial center and port. Toponymy The city was founded on March 5, 1714, by Juan Gregorio Bazán de Pedraza, with the original name ...

– Alberdi– Pilar

Route Route or routes may refer to: * Air route, route structure or airway * GPS route, a series of one or more GPS waypoints * Route (gridiron football), a path run by a wide receiver * Route (command), a program used to configure the routing table * ...

One may also take the bus from Asunción to Pilar and transfer to an interurban bus that serves Humaitá.

Patrimony

The city has a rich historical patrimony. Humaitá was more involved than any other city in the

. The Paraguayan army used this city to contain the invasion by the Alliance. By the end of the war, the city had been wrecked by the invading troops. The ''Cuartel de López'', a museum in

Francisco Solano López Francisco Solano López Carrillo (24 July 1827 or 1826 – 1 March 1870) was a Paraguay, Paraguayan statesman, Officer (armed forces), military officer and politician who served as President of Paraguay between 1862 and 1870, of which he serve ...

's former barracks, has three rooms where bullets, cannons, stirrups, spurs, swords, and other battlefield relics are displayed.

Tourism

Many tourists visit Humaitá. Students from all over Paraguay come to view the vestiges of the

, as do Uruguayan, Brazilian, Paraguayan and Argentine military men and civilians from throughout America and Europe. Humaita 02

* Ruins of Humaitá. Only a few vestiges survived bombardment by enemy cannons during the war. One of these was San Carlos Borromeo's church. Carlos Antonio López ordered its construction. It was inaugurated on January 1, 1861. At the time, it was considered one of the most beautiful in the

Americas The Americas, sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North America and South America.''Webster's New World College Dictionary'', 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio. When viewed as a sing ...

. * Itapunta * Curupayty * Estero Bellaco Hotels in the city include the Municipal Hotel, with Italianate architecture, constructed at the end of the 19th century. Many historians believe that

Stroessner Alfredo Stroessner Matiauda (; 3 November 1912 – 16 August 2006) was a Paraguayan politician, army general and military dictator who ruled as the 42nd president of Paraguay from 15 August 1954 until his overthrow in 1989. Known there as '' ...

stayed there during the 1947 revolution.

Fishing

Due to its location on the

, Humaitá is also a popular place to fish. Fish such as Mandi'i, catfish, piranha, armado, duck,

dorado Dorado (, ) is a constellation in the Southern Sky. It was named in the late 16th century and is now one of the 88 modern constellations. Its name refers to the mahi-mahi (''Coryphaena hippurus''), which is known as ''dorado'' ("golden") in Sp ...

surubí ''Pseudoplatystoma'' is a genus of several South American catfish species of family (biology), family Pimelodidae. The species are known by a number of different common names. They typically inhabit major rivers where they prefer the Channel (ge ...

, and

pacú Pacu () is a common name used to refer to several species of omnivorous South American freshwater Serrasalmidae, serrasalmid fish related to piranhas. Pacu and piranha do not have similar teeth, the main difference being jaw alignment; piranha ...

provide the main income of fishermen. Milanese surubí is a popular dish in local restaurants.

Gallery

File:IGLESIA DE HUMAITA - panoramio.jpg, A local church in Humaitá File:Humaita ruins square.jpg, Humaitá, Paraguay File:RUINAS_-_panoramio.jpg, Humaitá, Paraguay File:Riverside_promenade_Humaita.jpg, Humaitá, Paraguay

Twin towns

Humaitá is twinned with: * Malbrán, Argentina

References

Sources

World Gazeteer: Paraguay
– World-Gazetteer.com
Revista Zeta
{{DEFAULTSORT:Humaita Populated places in the Ñeembucú Department Populated places established in 1778 pt:Fortaleza de Humaitá