The history of Asunción started a long time ago. For years, before the arrival of European colonisers, indigenous people were in the area that is today this wonderful city. Being located beside one of the biggest rivers in South America, it was an important meeting point for them to trade, exchange knowledge, and live. The first potential European man to discover the area was Juan de Ayolas, who was trying to find Peruvian gold. He probably followed the stream and took the river to go northwest. Sources of the time cannot tell us precisely what his voyage was, but we know he passed in Paraguay. He died around 1537.
The creation of the city of Asunción
The city was founded on August 15, 1537, by Juan de Salazar and Gonzalo de Mendoza, who were looking for Ayolas. It was named Nuestra Señora Santa María de l’Asunción, as it was customary to name the city after the religious calendar. The town continued to grow from European immigration and the indigenous people living around it. Other villages, now cities, were created in the area and the region was developed to its maximum capacity. Over time, Asunción became the capital and biggest city of the Republic of Paraguay. Let us look at the history of Asunción in more detail.
Asunción’s early growing pains
In 1542, 5 years after the creation of the city, the region got an influx of people from Buenos Aires as their city was destroyed and set up in flames by indigenous people. From Asunción, with preparation, colonisers from the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata returned south to recreate their city. The same year, Asunción got his problem with indigenous people. Being enslaved by Europeans and feeling pressured by the authorities to let them do whatever they wanted with the new “acquired” land, the Guaraní, mostly the women, rebelled. Juliana, an indigenous woman, killed her master and confessed to the crime. She asks fellow Guaraní women to do the same to let the adelanto know who rules this land. She was killed on the order of Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca, the administrator of the land for the Spanish Crown. Over time, the rebellion cooled down, and the city continued to grow peacefully. From the 1540s to the end of the 1500s, multiple colonisers living in or around Asunción left the area to found other cities. The estimate is that they have founded around 65 cities. That is why one of the nicknames of Asunción is “The Mother of Cities.”
Metropolitan Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption. Photo: @canaguayo
The arrival of European religion
In 1603, the first synod of Asunción was organised by Martín Ignacio de Loyola. It regrouped all the men of faith, such as clergymen and lay people from eight cities of the central part of South America. The goal of this religious meeting was to organise the evangelisation of the indigenous people. The Bible was then translated from Spanish to Guaraní by Franciscan friar Luis de Bolaños. With time, indigenous people continued to be converted to Catholicism and lost their ancestral faith. Parallel to this, more and more colonisers with European ancestry mixed with them, which is why most Paraguayan population is mestizos today. Not long after, in 1617, the structure of the government was reworked. The governorate of the colony was divided into two parts. Buenos Aires would be the capital of the Río de la Plata while Asunción would be the capital of the Governorate of Paraguay, both part of the same colony.
Rebellions against the Spanish Empire
In 1731, the first official rebellion against the Spanish Crown occurred. It was led by José de Antequera y Castro. This was due, in part, to the fact that the King of Spain had things to take care of in Europe and was not focused enough on his colonies, who decided to take advantage of it. Philip V of Spain ignored the Americas because of the realignment of alliances. The Treaty of Vienna was signed between Great Britain and Emperor Charles VI of the Habsburg Monarchy. It also confirmed Philip’s son Charles III, future King of Spain, as Duke of Parma. Every move was analysed to avoid creating another international war in Europe and the colonies, which could have been costly for Spain. Maintaining the peace in Europe led to the Antequera y Castro rebellion in Paraguay. However, it did not work out. One of the first uprisings known to happen would lead to many more at the end of the 1700s and to the independence movement in the early 1800s.
Early in the 1800s, revolts occurred in Buenos Aires, the then capital of the whole colony, which includes today’s Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Bolivia. It was led by representatives of the people against the power of Madrid and the Spanish Crown. At the same time, Argentines were interested in having direct power in Paraguay, especially in case of potential independence from Spain. On the other side, Paraguayans wanted to preserve their independence from the colony’s main seat and decided to rebel against them, launching minor attacks on Buenos Aires. In 1811, General Belgrano of Argentina invaded Paraguay by the south-west but was not successful. On May 15, 1811, Paraguay declared independence from Argentina and Spain. A peace treaty was signed with Argentina, while nothing was officially signed with Spain until November 25, 1842. On June 17, 1811, a junta of five people was created, and Fulgencio Yegros was made the first President of Paraguay.
Palacio de López. Photo: @canaguayo
Asunción enters its era of modernisation
During the presidency of Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia, in most of the cities of the country, but even more in Asunción, streets were given names and neighbourhoods were created. Modernising the structural and urbanisation system helped the city develop itself and become Paraguay’s true number one city. Until the end of his presidency in 1840, the country and the city were in relative stability. The new president was Carlos Antonio López. Early in his mandate, he signed the treaty that formalised the independence vis-à-vis Spain. During his presidency, industrialization occurred and boosted Asunción and Paraguay. Schools and factories were created to be on par with the other nations around. He is the one who made the arrival of trains possible in the country and, by default, South America. Paraguay was the first nation to possess one.
Asunción decends into war
After stability and growth for around 50 years, things turned sour for Paraguay and its government. The son of Carlos Antonio, and wife of Madame Lynch, Francisco Solano López, took power in Asunción in 1862 after his father’s death. In 1864, in Uruguay, civil war raged on. The Colorado Party was backed by Argentina and Brazil. The Blanco Party and the governmental institutions are, in some capacities, supported by Paraguay. Without being directly involved in Uruguay, the Paraguayan government is attacking some areas of Argentina and Brazil. Still, if Solano López had not participated, it could have been a short and easy victory for the Brazilians, Argentinians, and the Colorados. Instead, it led to the War of the Triple Alliance — the worst war in the history of Latin America — and his death.
At the end of 1868, after years of back and forth, the Triple Alliance is at the door of the capital. Luís Alves de Lima e Silva, the Duke of Caxias, leader in the region of the Brazilian army and representative of the government, asked Solano López to surrender, which he refused. During this time, the capital of Paraguay was moved temporarily to Luque. While the Paraguayan President fled, on January 1, 1869, the city was taken by Brazilian General João de Souza da Fonseca Costa. On the 5th, the Duke of Caxias entered Asunción with the rest of the troop. He would briefly control the city for the government of the Empire of Brazil. On January 18, the Duke of Caxias was too ill to govern and left for Montevideo. At that specific moment, around 5,000 enemy troops were in the city. In less than a month, the military population had grown to around 30,000 men, and without proper directive, sacked the city. It is probably the worst thing that happened in the history of the city. The Minister of Foreign Affairs for the Empire, José Paranhos, was mandated to take over and arrived around February 20.
The war ended in 1870 with the death of Francisco Solano López in the eastern part of the country, now at the border with Brazil. The country lost almost all its men, and the nation was amputated from a lot of land, distributed to Argentina and Brazil. The peace treaty was signed with the President of the United States of America Rutherford B. Hayes as the mediator. With this reconfiguration, Asunción is now located at the border with Argentina. In case of another war with their neighbour, the capital is even less safe than before. Same case for Ciudad del Este, being located at the triple frontier. The peace treaty was signed in 1870, but it still took six more years for the Brazilian army to leave Asunción. This war left marks on the city and its citizens. It still has an impact on how Paraguay governs and on how descendants of these people are living today.
Immigration helps rebuild and improve Asunción
It took some time for the city and the country to recover. Without an influx in immigration, Paraguay would not have survived, as there were more women than men in the nation, and by a lot. At the end of the 1800s, immigration from Europe boosted the population and made Asunción more attractive as new buildings were built and employment was created. Just after the war, the first tramway arrived. It was electrified around 40 years later. Early in the 1900s, sports also developed in the country, with multiple football (soccer) clubs created, and they still exist today. In 1902, William Paats, originally from the Netherlands, founded Club Olimpia. In 1912 was created the Club Cerro Porteño by Susana Núñez. Both clubs in Asunción are the most famous in the country and are the teams playing in the derby. Most of the important clubs of the country are playing in the capital.
Stadium of Cerro Porteño. Photo: @canaguayo
Since the Triple Alliance War, important political parties have had difficulties working with each other, but the country was still in relative stability. Growth was slow but was present. However, everything changed early in the 1930s. War is at the doorstep again. The Chaco War was fought between Paraguay and Bolivia from 1932 to 1935. It is the only war in recent history fought between two Latin American nations. The war was due to the control of the Chaco Boreal, the northern part of Paraguay and the southern part of Bolivia. It was disputed by two countries, yes, but also by two petroleum entities: The Royal Dutch backing Paraguay and the Standard Oil (ExxonMobil) backing Bolivia as the soil was and still is rich in resources. Paraguay also counted on the support of Argentina and Italy, while Bolivia counted on Czechoslovakia. However, they did not participate actively. Almost all the fighting was in the disputed area; however, the capital also contributed in its way. The most important recruitment office was based in Asunción, at the actual location of the Estadio Defensores del Chaco, which took its name from this war. Also, injured military personnel were sent to the hospital and camps of the capital to be treated and, for some, to regroup and be sent back to the north. The city was never under attack during this war as the conflict was too far away. After 3 years of intense fighting, a peace treaty is signed. Paraguay gets a bit over two-thirds of the region and Bolivia gets the rest. It was a win for the country that was celebrated everywhere, and even more in the capital, as it was their first military victory in a long time. After the Chaco War, they never fought in any other international conflict. Some volunteers participated in both World Wars but did not bear the flag of Paraguay, being volunteers in other countries’ forces.
Asunción descends into dictatorships
In 1940, after the death of President José Félix Estigarribia in a plane crash, Higinio Morínigo was selected to replace him. He was supposed to be president solely on an interim basis as the election was planned. However, he decided otherwise and postponed the election multiple times. They were finally held in February 1943, but Morínigo was the sole candidate. In the end, he stayed in power for 8 years. As his dictatorship mainly took place during World War II, the military backed him. After the end of the conflict, the population started to be disenchanted with Morínigo’s politics and got vocal about it. On March 7, 1947, the Paraguayan Civil War began. Considered the third official civil war in the history of the country, it is the one that had a more significant impact on the nation, its population, and Asunción. Over time, more and more people joined the rebellion, including a faction of the army, who started to feel sympathy for the civil population. On April 27, the rebels were concentrating their attack on Asunción but fell short of success. General Alfredo Stroessner arrived from Paraguarí and fought them back out of the city. With this success, he proved his worth and loyalty to Morínigo. If the civil war had been worse, the President of Argentina, Juan Perón, would have helped the President of Paraguay, being allies. During this time, around 33% of the population fled the country for Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, Bolivia, and other countries. After the war, he decided to organise elections, held in 1948, but only one candidate was allowed on the ballot. In exchange for his victory, Juan Natalicio González had to keep Morínigo as commander-in-chief of the army. The population was not pleased and rebelled. In the end, between 1948 and 1954, 6 persons were presidents of the country.
On May 4, 1954, Alfredo Stroessner, a Paraguayan of German ancestry, made a coup against the president. After a brief interim of Tómas Romero, he was elected on July 11 as President of the Republic of Paraguay. He was sworn in on August 15. It is probably the darkest moment in the recent history of the nation, Stroessner being in the same group as Chile’s Pinochet or Cuba’s Castro, for example. He was dictator of Paraguay from 1954 to 1989. During his time, the country regressed in almost every category. Around 4,000 people were killed, 1,000 were tortured and imprisoned for no official reasons, and a minimum of 500 people disappeared. Just beside the Palacio de López, in Asunción, there is the Plaza de los Desaparecidos, in honour of the victims of the dictatorship. There was no press freedom anymore, and since most of the budget was spent on the military and security, not a lot of funds remained for the rest. In Asunción, historical buildings needed perseveration, but the money was not there when needed. Shortly after his presidency, based on his decision, the government did not have enough funds to preserve the tramway either. Asunción lost its competitive advantage over cities around the capital, not gaining any citizens. Luque, Mariano Roque Alonso, Fernando de la Mora, and San Lorenzo, to name a few, got a substantial increase in population in the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s. Ultimately, he was ousted by a coup made by his long-time collaborator and friend Andrés Rodríguez in 1989.
Asunción’s modern democratic era
Between 1989 and today, only two presidents did not finish their mandate: Raúl Cubas and Fernando Lugo. In 2000, a failed coup happened, and a state of emergency was briefly in place in the capital. One president, Horacio Cartes, was very controversial, especially internationally, as he owned around 75% of the countries’ businesses. People rioted in 2017 when he tried to pass an amendment to be re-elected. In fact, during the last 35 years, the biggest tragedy was not political. On August 1, 2004, a fire broke in the Supermercado Ycuá Bolaños V in Asunción. In the end, 300 people died, and another 500 were injured. The owner and multiple employees of the grocery store were arrested and imprisoned when it was discovered that the building did not respect the norms. It was also believed that the doors were closed when the fire started at the directive of the owner as he was afraid of people stealing his merchandise.
The greater metropolitan area around Asunción grows quickly
The cities around Asunción have grown very fast as the capital is territorially limited. The one that had a more rapid growth is Luque, popularly known by locals as the “Republic of Luque”, where the only international airport in Paraguay is, and where multiple headquarters for South American organisations are located. As of 2023, the population of Asunción is 521,091 people. There were 68 official neighbourhoods in the city, around 15 of them with more than 10,000 people as of 2002, the last time they counted the population by area. The three biggest neighbourhoods were San Pablo, with 21,787 people; Dr. Roberto L. Petit, with 20,201 people; and Barrio Obrero, with 19,823 people. The three smallest were Manorá, with 1,898 people; Banco San Miguel, with 953 people; and Ñu Guazú, with 16 people.
The neighbourhoods of Asunción
Indeed, there are areas of Asunción that are better than others. Almost every neighbourhood has its specificities, differences, and charms. Most governmental buildings, the parliament, and the presidential offices are in La Catedral and La Encarnación. There are, respectively, 3,676 and 4,928 people living in those areas of the city. Multiple locations in these two sectors are considered heritage buildings but are not well preserved. The reason is that most of the owners, who have the right to the buildings and pay the taxes, cannot afford to renovate them. Besides those two neighbourhoods is Barrio Ricardo Brugada, also known as the Chacarita. It is the worst area in the city. This temporary slum was one that never left. The government could not follow with the rising number of people moving in. As of 2002, around 10,455 people were living in the area. In the last couple of years, they started to create social housing on the right side, which also extends to parts of Barrio Las Mercedes.
Most of the football (soccer) teams of the Paraguayan league are located in Asunción. Club Olimpia is located in Barrio Mariscal López, on one of the most important streets in the city. As of 2002, around 5,025 people were living in the area. As for Club Cerro Porteño, it is located in Barrio Obrero, one of the most populated neighbourhoods of the city. Olimpia is considered the club of immigrants, and Cerro is regarded as the club of the people. The club of politicians and businessmen, Club Libertad, is located in Las Mercedes. The neighbourhood had a population of around 4,827 people in 2002. The club uniting everyone is La Albirroja, the national team of Paraguay. They are playing in Estadio Defensores del Chaco, in the Barrio Carlos Antonio López. At the time, it was part of Sajonia, which had a population of 14,873 people.
Important landmarks in Asunción
In Barrio Pettirossi is located the Mercado 4, one of the biggest markets in the city. You can find everything from electronics to clothing and food. It has a wide range of varieties, not only things from Paraguay but also from Argentina, Brazil, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. New towers were constructed around in the last couple of years to have more shops than ever before. As of 2002, 11,380 people were living in this neighbourhood. In Barrio Manorá and Barrio Ycuá Satí are located the two biggest shopping centres in Asunción; Shopping del Sol and Paseo la Galería. At the time, the population in the area was not very high, but with the modernization of the sector, it is probably higher. It is one of the areas that was developed the most in the last 20 years, being part of the “new downtown.” Shopping Mariscal, another big shopping centre, is located in Recoleta. Villa Mora and Recoleta are the core of the trendiest area of Asunción. There are a lot of shops, restaurants and bars, high-rise condos, parks, and some offices, especially banks. It is also one of the priciest areas in which to live in the city.
Paseo la Galería and Shopping del Sol. Photo: @canaguayo
The ongoing development of Asunción
The city was developed west-east. The two biggest streets in these directions are Avenida Mariscal López and Avenida España. The most used streets in Asunción lead to all the important areas of the town. There are also two essential streets circling part of the city, especially close to the river; La Costanera and La Costanera Sur. The first one was created a couple of years ago and is passing in the back of the Presidential Palace and the Chacarita. It is also leading to the bridge that leads you to the north of the country. Extension projects are underway to ameliorate the flow of cars getting in and out of the city. The second one is on the southern part and is being finished now. There are two bridges in Asunción; Puente Remanso and Puente Heroes del Chaco. The first one was the only bridge connecting the city and the Chaco Paraguayo until 2024. The second was inaugurated earlier this year, making it faster to go out of town by the north and also quicker to go to Argentina from the capital.
Transport in Asunción
As for transportation, multiple bus lines are going in and out of the city to Ciudad del Este, Encarnación, and Buenos Aires, to name a few. As for buses in the city, there are multiple. However, they are not owned by a transport commission, which means that they are privately owned. You can get a bus card for all of them. As for the airport, located in Luque, it is very easy to access from Asunción, and you can go by Bolt and Uber, for example, without paying too much.
The History of Asunción is rich. From its indigenous roots to its European influence, it makes it one of the most beautiful city in the region. While being named “The Mother of Cities,” it is also nicknamed the “Green Capital of Ibero-America,” having trees and vegetation everywhere. The lovely city of Asunción has a bright future. It is the best place to be!
Asunción Skyline. Photo: @canaguayo
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