San Ignacio (), also known as San Ignacio Guazú, is a district and city of the

Misiones Department Misiones () is a Departments of Paraguay, department located in the southern region of Paraguay. Its capital is San Juan Bautista, Paraguay, San Juan Bautista. The eighth of Paraguay's 17 departments, it was created in 1906, then known as the ' ...

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 ...

, located from

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 ...

.
It is Misiones' most-populous and fastest growing city, with an estimated 35,497 residents in 2021.Población nacional estimada y proyectada, según sexo, departamento, y distrito, 2000-2025
Instituto Nacional de Estadística. San Ignacio is known as the "Corazón del Sur" ("Heart of the South") for being in the center of the three southern departments: Ñeembucú, Misiones and Itapúa.

History

It was founded on December 29, 1609 by the Jesuit Priests Marcial de Lorenzana and Francisco de San Martín, accompany by

Cacique A cacique, sometimes spelled as cazique (; ; feminine form: ), was a tribal chieftain of the Taíno people, who were the Indigenous inhabitants of the Bahamas, the Greater Antilles, and the northern Lesser Antilles at the time of European cont ...

(native word for “chief”) Arapysandú, who took them to his lands, where they built an altar and celebrated the first mass. The Jesuit Mission was established officially in 1610 with the name of “San Ignacio Guazú” so it wouldn't be confused with another mission “ San Ignacio Miní” in Misiones,

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

. In February of the same year, Father

Roque González de Santa Cruz Roque ( ) is an American variant of croquet played on a hard, smooth surface. Popular in the first quarter of the 20th century and billed "the Game of the Century" by its enthusiasts, it was an Roque at the 1904 Summer Olympics, Olympic sport in ...

organized the mission, turning it into the center of all the Jesuit missions in Paraguay. The Jesuits that founded other towns such as: Santa Rosa,

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile (), is the capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is located in the country's central valley and is the center of the Santiago Metropolitan Regi ...

, Santa María, San Cosme y Damián and even Encarnación, left from San Ignacio in order to do so. Originally located in the area where nowadays is Santa Rita, moved to Santiago and later to the current location. The first inhabitants of San Ignacio were the natives that learned many arts from the

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

an masters.

Economy

San Ignacio is an important center for commerce, cattle and agriculture, besides from the historical and cultural richness. His strategic location, in the central area of the department and with several road sections, its population is the one with the most dynamic and economical activity of the department.

Tourism

It is considered “Capital of the Hispanic-Guaraní Baroque”, because of the countless pieces of art from that time that is preserve in the city. Some of them are pieces of the church of San Ignacio. In the Diocesan Museum of Jesuit Art, that is from the time of the Spanish colony, are found statues of saints and objects of great value and variety, plus documents and maps from the first Jesuit mission in Paraguay. This museum is directed by the priests of the Company of Jesus, and it is organized in four halls: * The Creation (allegory: The Word of God, the fight between Good and Evil, and an image of a child guided by an Angel of the Creation) * The Redemption (statues of the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus) * History of Christ in the Church (images of saints) * Jesuit Company (recreation of the history of the company that founded the missions) Other historical places are the Museum of the Chaco Heroes “Museo Semblanza de Héroes” that has a collection of objects from the War of Chaco and 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 ...

. The House of Culture, a house from the time of the colony, is an example of the architecture of the period. One of these houses is now the Documentation Center of “Files of the Dictatorial Government of

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 '' ...

/ House of the Victims 1954-1989, and is located across from the church. Every year, in January, the festivity of the Missioner Tradition is celebrated, in which are exhibited the folkloric traditions of the country, the ability for riding horses and the food. The most typical food in the area is the “batiburrillo”. In Tañarandy, a company of the city, the front of the houses is usually painted with illustrations of the work their inhabitants do. In this place settled the natives that didn't allowed to be dominated by the Jesuit, the name means “land of the demons” or “land of the heretic”. A tradition of the inhabitants is that the Holy Friday, at sunset, a great procession march with candles, reliving one of the oldest catholic rituals, the singing and the “jetopa” (Guaraní word for “gathering”) of the people in the Stations of the Cross. Tourist from all around the country as well as other from outside come around this date to see “the living pictures”, when local actors represent famous painting in a special scenography. This activity was promoted by the Paraguayan artist Koki Ruíz, and has the support of the entire community of San Ignacio. On May 15, it is celebrated a festivity in honor of San Isidro Labrador, in the neighborhood that carries his name. On July 31 is the festivity of San Ignacio. File:Church of San Ignacio, Misiones, Paraguay.jpg, The church of San Ignacio File:Tanarandy.png,

Good Friday Good Friday, also known as Holy Friday, Great Friday, Great and Holy Friday, or Friday of the Passion of the Lord, is a solemn Christian holy day commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus and his death at Calvary (Golgotha). It is observed during ...

procession in Tañarandy, Paraguay File:San Ignacio Imagen 093.jpg, Route 1 approaching San Ignacio, Paraguay

Education

In San Ignacio, the campus of the Universidad Católica Nuestra Señora de la Asunción (Catholic University of Our Lady of the Ascension) offers the young people studies of: Science of Education, Law and Social Sciences, Administration, Accounting and Informatics Engineering. There is also a national university, the Universidad Nacional de Pilar and many others privates universities such a
UniNorteUTCDUPAPUniversidad Autónoma del SurUniversidad Maria AuxiliadoraUniversidad del Pacífico
among others.

List of high schools

Media

Television Networks/Cable Station

* Telefuturo: Channel 5 * SNT: Channel 10 *Canal 13 (from San Patricio): Channel 13 *Red Guaraní: Channel 40

FM Radio Stations

*95.3 FM: Activa *93.3 FM: Del Sol *96.3 FM: Libertad *88.1 FM: Monseñor Pastor Bogarín *89.7 FM: San Ignacio *93.7 FM: UNASUR *96.3 FM: Libertad

AM Radio Stations

*1040 AM: Arapysandú

Notable people

* Carlos Guirland (1961-), footballer * Darío Verón (1979-), footballer * Enrique Borja (1995-), footballer * Feliciano Centurión (1962-1996), painter * José Pedrozo (1982-2021), footballer

Twin towns

San Ignacio Guazú is twinned with: * San Ignacio, Argentina

References

* Geografía Ilustrada del Paraguay, Distribuidora Arami SRL; 2007. * Geografía del Paraguay, Primera Edición 1999, Editorial Hispana Paraguay SRL,

External links

Secretaria Nacional de Turismo

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