The city of San Antonio in Paraguay’s Central Department inaugurated the renewed Paseo Costero park on 17 September 2025. The park counts on an open-air amphitheatre, a multipurpose track and outdoor fitness equipment. A playground for all children, and a food area are also part of the new installation of the Paseo Costero. The new park also features three restrooms, including one specifically designed for people with disabilities. The lights have been repaired as well for park use at night.
From abandonment to new green space
The Mayor of San Antonio, Santiago Aguilera, is pleased with the finalisation of the project. He stated that previously, the Paseo Costero had been a place “to commit crimes, drink excessively, and listen to loud music”. The area had been in a state of abandonment. San Antonio and many cities in the area needed new green spaces with the urban sprawl.
The new green space cost Gs. 5 billion (approximately $US700,000). The Central Department Governor’s Office and the Municipality of San Antonio paid for the project. This project follows the initiatives of many other coastal cities in Paraguay, Uruguay, Brazil, and Argentina, where banks are being redeveloped to create either parks or promenades.
The past of Paseo Costero
The area where the Paseo Costero is located has a connection to war. During the Pikysyry Campaign of the Triple Alliance War, around 7,000 Brazilian forces disembarked there. The troops entered the zone on 5 December 1868, and initiated what the allied forces called the “Dezembrada,” meaning December in Portugese. The Brazilian forces under Luís Alves de Lima e Silva, the Duque of Caxias, stayed briefly in San Antonio, and later battled the Paraguayans in Ytororó, Avay, and Itá Yvaté.
Santiago Aguilera and his administration are considering adding a plaque in the Paseo Costero commemorating the event.
About San Antonio
San Antonio is a coastal city part of the Asunción Metropolitan Area (AMA). Located 20 kilometres away from downtown Asunción, the locality is bordered by Villa Elisa, Ñemby, Ypané, and the Paraguay River. Per the government, the Sanantonianos and Sanantonianas accounted for 57,843 people as of 2022.
While there are not as many things to do in San Antonio as in a city like Asunción, there are things to do. You can walk around the Plaza Municipal, the Paso de Patria, the new Paseo Costero, visit the Wisner Chocolate Factory, or watch Club Ytororó live.
For more information, check the Municipalidad de San Antonio on Facebook.
