José Eduvigis Díaz Vera (17 October 1833 – 7 February 1867) was a Paraguayan general. Díaz was born in the town of Cerro Verá east of

Pirayú Pirayú is a town in the Paraguarí department of Paraguay. It is 50km from Asunción, in the vicinity of the Cordillera de los Altos. History Pirayú; formerly called ''Gayoso Chapel.'' Its original name stems from a land donation from the G ...

in the department of

Paraguarí Paraguarí (; ) is a city, '' distrito'' and capital of Paraguarí Department in Paraguay, located 66 km from the country's capital, Asunción. At the 2002 census it had a population of 22,154.

. His parents were Juan Andrés Díaz and Dolores Vera. Gral

In 1852 he joined the militia and later led Battalion #40 of the police. He became the police chief in

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 ...

and first distinguished himself on raids across the

Río Paraná Rio or Río is the Portuguese and Spanish word for "river". The word also exists in Italian, but is largely obsolete and used in a poetical or literary context to mean "stream". Rio, RIO or Río may also refer to: Places United States * Rio, Fl ...

Corrientes Corrientes (; Guaraní: Taragui, literally: "Currents") is the capital city of the province of Corrientes, Argentina, located on the eastern shore of the Paraná River, about from Buenos Aires and from Posadas, on National Route 12. It has ...

in the spring of 1866 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 ...

. Díaz was the hero of the September 22, 1866 battle of Curupaity, leading a humiliating defeat of the allied forces. Barely four months later, however, on 26 January 1867, a Brazilian shell exploded over general Diaz's canoe while he was fishing in the River Paraguay, outside the camp at Curupayty. President

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 ...

visited the wounded Díaz every day. Díaz's leg was amputated by doctors, but he still died on 7 February 1867.Hooker, T.D., 2008, The Paraguayan War, Nottingham: Foundry Books, In addition to the battle of Curupayty, Díaz participated in the battles of

Pehuajó Pehuajó () is a city in the Pehuajó Partido (Pehuajó district) in the provinces of Argentina, province of Buenos Aires Province, Buenos Aires, Argentina. The partido has about 38,400 inhabitants as per the . The name of this relatively small c ...

, Estero Bellaco,

Tuyutí Tuyutí (), "white mud" in guaraní, is a marsh with a pond located in the southwest corner of Paraguay. It became famous during the Paraguayan War, while the allied army bivouacked on it for two years. The Battle of Tuyutí in 1866 was the bigge ...

(in which he commanded the Paraguayans against the combined allied forces), Boquerón, and

Sauce In cooking, a sauce is a liquid, cream, or semi- solid food, served on or used in preparing other foods. Most sauces are not normally consumed by themselves; they add flavour, texture, and visual appeal to a dish. ''Sauce'' is a French wor ...

. After his death, his coffin was brought to Asunción, where the town accompanied it to its resting place in the Recoleta neighborhood. In 1939, Díaz's remains were deposited in an urn in the

National Pantheon of the Heroes The National Pantheon of the Heroes (), whose full name National Pantheon of Heroes and Oratory of the Virgin of the Asuncion () is a building and landmark of Asunción Asunción (, ) is the capital and the largest city of Paraguay. The city ...

, along with the remains of

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 ...

Honors

Paraguay's Ruta 4 highway is named after him. He appears on the 100

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 ...

coin.

References

1833 births 1867 deaths People from Paraguarí Department Paraguayan people of Spanish descent Paraguayan generals Paraguayan military personnel of the Paraguayan War Paraguayan military personnel killed in action {{Paraguay-mil-bio-stub