Yaguarón is a city in
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 at the base of
Yaguarón Hill in the
Yaguarón District of
Paraguarí Department
Paraguarí (; Guaraní: Paraguari) is a '' departamento'' in Paraguay. At the 2002 census it had a population of 221,932.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 ...
. The town began as a
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 ...
reservation for the
Guaraní Indians.
It contains a famous and visually stunning church, the building of which, led by Fray
Alonso de Buenaventura, started in 1640 and took 60 years to complete.
Yaguarón is also notable as the birthplace of
José Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia
José Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia y Velasco () (6 January 1766 – 20 September 1840), also known as Doctor Francia or to Paraguayans of his time as Karai Guasu (in Guaraní, means "Great Lord"), was a Paraguayan lawyer, politician, stat ...
, dictator of Paraguay 1814–1840, whose strong
authoritarianism
Authoritarianism is a political system characterized by the rejection of political plurality, the use of strong central power to preserve the political ''status quo'', and reductions in democracy, separation of powers, civil liberties, and ...
earned him the name ''El Supremo.'' His house is now a museum – located only 200 or so meters from the church.
Toponymy
In the beginning the city was called Jaguarú, which means in
Guaraní mythology an enormous dog or jaguar that inhabited the region.
History
Located in the foot of a hill with the same name, the city started as a
Franciscan Mission with the Guaraní population.
In 1600,
Fray Alonso de Buenaventura and his followers built an imposing church that still stands nowadays and is one of the most beautiful examples of Franciscan construction in Paraguay.
The Paraguayan dictator
José Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia
José Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia y Velasco () (6 January 1766 – 20 September 1840), also known as Doctor Francia or to Paraguayans of his time as Karai Guasu (in Guaraní, means "Great Lord"), was a Paraguayan lawyer, politician, stat ...
was born in Yaguarón in 1766.
Climate
The average temperature is , in summer reaches and in winter drops to .
Demographics
It has a total of 27,250 inhabitants, 13,965 men and 13,286 women, according to information provided by the Statistics, Polls and Census General Direction.
Economy
The economical activities of its population are agriculture, production of clothes and sports gear.
Transportation
Located 48 kilometers from Asunción, capital of the country, the access to the city is through Route No. 1 “Mcal. Francisco Solano López”.
Tourism
The Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia Museum is located just a block away from the church. In there are a variety of belongings of Francia and other objects from the 19th century.
The cavern of
Saint Thomas is the place of a legend. This legend narrates that in the area, lived a priest, Pa’i Sumé, who is said left marks in his trip through the region. The road that leads to the cavern was venerated by the natives of the area, who told stories of a blond man that came much before the Spanish arrived and showed them how to cultivate the corn.
The Franciscan settled in Yaguarón and in the altar of the church they built can be appreciated the Hispanic-Guaraní style of the carvings the natives made by hand.
From the Gamarra Oratory, on top of the Yaguarón Hill, the cities
Pirayú,
Itá,
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. and
Carapeguá can be well appreciated.
The festivity of
Saint Roque on August 16 is celebrated in a chapel built in his honor. Because it is said that this saint is the protector of dogs, in the celebration, people make very particular offerings with the shape of dogs.
Musical tradition
Yaguarón keeps one of the oldest musical traditions of Paraguay: The “Petete Peteke” Para’i Band, from Guayaibity Town, which uses the original musical instruments of the natives.
In the top of the Yaguarón Hill there is an Oratory, from where the beautiful landscape can be appreciated. The legend tells that in this hill are the footprints of Saint Thomas.
Sources
World Gazeteer: Paraguay– World-Gazetteer.com
* ''Geografía Ilustrada del Paraguay'', Distribuidora Arami SRL; 2007.
* ''Geografía del Paraguay'', Primera Edición 1999, Editorial Hispana Paraguay SRL
External links
Secretaria Nacional de TurismoDirección General de Encuestas, Estadísticas y Censos
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yaguaron
Yaguarón District