Paraguay’s National Secretariat of Culture, through the National Archive of Asunción, welcomes the public to the exhibition “The History’s Reunion: Manuscripts Returning Home”. The event continues to be open in the National Archive’s Sala Americana. People can visit Monday to Friday from 07:00 to 19:00, and on Saturdays from 07:00 to 20:00. The entrance is free.
The exhibition brings together four original documents from 16th and 19th centuries recently returned to Paraguay. This exhibition is providing citizens with fundamental pieces for understanding the historical processes that shaped the territory during its earliest stages of organisation.
Manuscripts and belongings from the past
The manuscripts on display were outside Paraguay for over a century. Among them is the Hernandarias Manuscript (1598), which offers details about early colonial administration and the political and social dynamics of Paraguay and the Río de la Plata. A Town Council Act from the same year concerning the delimitation of Asunción’s borders is part of the exhibition. This is a document of paramount importance for understanding how the local political space was configured at that time.
The exhibition also incorporates an inventory of goods belonging to Asunción merchants. The diversity of the items reveals the breadth of 16th-century trade circuits. Additionally, it shows the city’s connections with networks linking the Americas, Europe, and Asia. The display is completed by the Diary of the expedition to Villa Real de Concepción (1812). This document was written by the notary José Ignacio Gómez Ruiz, during the mission led by Fernando de la Mora. This archive is a central source for understanding the initial efforts to organise independent Paraguay.
Apart from manuscripts, the exhibition proposal combines original documents, explanatory texts, visual elements, and digital resources. The display cases include highlighted fragments and informative banners that facilitate reading. QR codes provide access to interviews with specialists and supplementary materials regarding the restitution process and the prevention of the illicit trafficking of cultural property.
Recovery of the documents
The exhibited manuscripts were recovered thanks to the coordinated work of the National Secretariat of Culture. The recovery was made through the National Commission for the Prevention and Combat of Illicit Trafficking of Cultural Property. The process began after an anonymous tip-off alerted authorities to the presence of the “Hernandarias Manuscript” at an auction in New York.
Verifications confirmed that it was a document belonging to the National Archive. An investigation was launched in the country and a parallel case in the New York District Attorney’s Office. The investigation was realised with the participation of the Director of the National Archive, Vicente Arrúa, and the technical support of the historian Dr. Guillaume Candela.
The Antiquities Trafficking Unit of the Manhattan Supreme Court completed the recovery of the manuscript. These precious manuscripts remained in the custody of the Paraguayan Consulate in New York until its official return. This process reinforces the Paraguayan State’s commitment to the protection of documentary heritage. The situation also highlights the importance of inter-institutional cooperation in combating the illicit trafficking of cultural property.
