Villa Elisa, Paraguay

Villa Elisa () is a city in the Central Department of Paraguay on the outskirts of Asuncion. It was the only colony that was inhabited by Swedish people in Paraguay and today is part of the metropolitan area of the capital. It was founded on March 22, 1938.

History

After the Paraguayan War, Paraguay was receiving European immigrants, who were given land for the agricultural production and cattle breeding. Around 1890, Belgium immigrants founded the Belgium Colony of Mbocayaty, later supplemented by French and Italian people around 1880 and 1890.

As time went by the inhabitants of the colony began to work in agricultural, especially in the production of fruit. Later the Belgium people migrated to the properties of a Danish man named Emilio Johansen. Around 1896, the city became Colonia Elisa, as an homage to his wife, Elisa Von Poleski. Elisa was of aristocratic German origin and later would have a street in the city named after her as well.

The first Administrative Board of Villa Elisa was created on June 21, 1899, under the direction of Emilio Johansen. With the arrival of more foreigners from Scandinavia and Germany in the years of 1900 and 1940, the population grew, as well as the need for new institutions, since Paraguay was now going through internal conflicts and the war with Bolivia, called the Chaco War operated by Petróleos Paraguayos (Petropar) is located in Villa Elisa. This refinery was later transformed in an autarquic company, beginning its operations on January 9, 1986.

Geography

Villa Elisa is located only 16 km away from Asunción and can be reached from Asunción on the South Access road. Public transit in Asunción also provides several ways to reach Villa Elisa.
The city borders the following places: to the north are Asuncion and Fernando de la Mora, to the east are San Lorenzo and Ñemby, to the west is Lambare, and to the south are San Antonio and the Paraguay River.

The topographic characteristics of the Central Department vary among curves of 58 to 250 meters over the sea level. Villa Elisa has sandy soil covered by vegetation.

Weather

The weather is mainly tropical. The maximum temperature is in the summer and it reaches 39 degrees Celsius; the minimum in winter is 1 degree. The annual medium is of 22.

Demography

Villa Elisa is reported to have a population growth rate of 9.52% per year. According to the General Direction of Statistics and Survey, the population was 53,166 in 2008.

Neighborhoods

Villa Elisa has 16 neighborhoods, including San Juan, Villa Bonita, Mbocayaty, Picada, Sol de América, Gloria María, Ypaty, San Miguel, Rosedal, 29 de Setiembre y 3 Bocas.

Government

The Town Hall belongs to the first category ( Decree number 12.192/01) and the number of advisors that compose the Legislative power of the Town Hall is of twelve, and they represent to the National Republican Association, or Red Party(6), Radical Liberal Party (5) and the party Patria Querida (1). Its mayor now is Mr Ricardo Estigarribia, belonging to the Liberal Party.

Culture

The local festival is celebrated on July 16 in the memory of Virgin of the Carmen, the patron of the city. In this occasion there are masses, a lot of delicious food, typical of Paraguay besides a number of traditional games all over the country, such as pelota tata (fire ball) toro candil, walking on fire, yvyra syi (soap stick) among others.

Some events made in the city are also: the students parades, the religious parades and the important dates, such as the Child Day, the one in the memory of the ex soldiers who fought in the Triple Alianza War, festival of Youth in Spring day and other artistic shows that can be shared by all the family.
It was declared also the sub location of the Lake Festival of Ypacaray. It is known as the folk capital of the south.

Gastronomy

Villa Elisa, just like all the Paraguayan cities keeps in its gastronomic taste the typical country food such as : Mbejú, Chipa Asador, pastel mandi`o, ryguasu ka`e, lampreado, butifarra, Chicharó trenzado, Chipa so'o, among other delicious and strange specialties.

Notable people

One of the notable people of Villa Elisa is the writer Cristian Gonzalez Safstrand, who was born in the city in 1947. Even though he was a self-taught person, he was very interested in literature from a very young age, having read some of the classics of the occidental narrative, such as the Spanish writers Miguel de Cervantes and Pedro Antonio de Alarcón, and the French Alexandre Dumas. Gonzalez began as a narrator in 1984 with the publishing of his two short novels: ''Andanzas de un comisario de campaña'' and ''Sueños y conflictos''. (''Stories of a Country Marshal'' and ''Conflicts and Dreams''). He followed these with the 1985 novel ''La vida y sus secuencias'' (1985) (''Life and its Sequences'') and in 1989 his fourth novel, ''La pesadilla'' (''The Nightmare'') was published.

Economy

It has many industries, commercial areas and services. Its agricultural activity is the fruit production. A great part of the population that is actively economical works in the capital of the country.

References

* Reportaje al País. Tomo 1. Edición 2001. Asunción Paraguay.

External links

Municipalidad de Villa Elisa

{{Districts in the Central Department

Populated places in the Central Department
Populated places established in 1890