Figure 1.--The Battle of Acosta Ñu / Campo Grande was fought after Paraguay had already diuasteously lost the War of the Triople Alliance (August 1869). Some 3,500 poorly armed Paraguayans, mostly boys 9-15 years old with some old men and wounded soldiers faced 20,000 well armed veteran veteran soldiers. They were slughtered. Today in Paraguay it is celdebrted as the Day of the Niño--Day of the Child.

The Guaraní people established themselves in large areas east the Andes before the arrival of the Spanish. Modern Paraguay was inhabited by semi-nomadic Guarani-speaking Native American tribes. The area was well watered, annd both ferile and wooded. They had a proud warrior tradition and resisted the expansion of the Quecha-speaking Inca from the Highlands of Peru and Bolivia. Spanish explorer Juan de Salazar ascending the Paraguay River from the Lalata settlement was the first Spaniard to reach the area and founded Asunción, so named because it was the Feast Day of the Assumption (August 15 1537). The new settlement evolved into the center of a Spanish colonial province. Jesuit missionaries set up 'reductions', missions to Christianize and govern the Guaraní in what is now Paraguay. They also sought to protect the Guarani from the depredations of Bandeirante slave raiders (17th-18th centuries). They were the outposts that the Jesuits attempted to use to prtect the poorly defined border area berween Spanish Argentina and Portuguese Brazil. The Spanish who moved into the area were from Buenos Aires in costrast to Bolivia where the Spanish came from Peru. The Guarani Reductions were unique because while the natives had to convert, they were allowed to retain their culture and not adopt European culture. The Jesuits were highly educated and appreciated art and music. They organized choirs in the reduction chuches and taught the boys choral music just as intricate as the music being sung in Europe. Their singing is said to astonished Spanish visitors. The subsequent expulsion of the Jesuits and supression if the Reductions meant that this cultural treasure was lost to what became independendent Paraguay. The Latin American Wars of Independence began (1806). Paraguay was able to move toward independence from Spain as a result of developments in Buenos Aires (1811). After the wars of independence began against Spain, Paraguay declared its independence by overcoming the small Spanish garison in Asuncion (1811). The colonials in Paraguay refused to join Argentina. As in much of South America, the country became dominated by a series of strong men often referred to as caudillos. As a result of Spanish colonial rule, there was no tradition of democracy. The most important caudillos in Paraguay were: Jose Gaspar Rodriguez de Francia, Carlos Antonio Lopez, and his son Francisco Solano Lopez. The country was dominated by father and son dictatorrs Carlos Antonio López (1792-1862) and Francisco Solano López Carrillo (1827–70). Paraguay had a small popukation and was in danger of being absorbd by Buenos Aires-dominate Argentina. They sought to prevent that by facoring the Amer-Indian population--the Guaraní. It was ghe inly Latin American coujntry in which the native population was favored. Even today it is the Latin American country with the least ethnic diversity--a mestizo nation. They build a huge army given the country's size and Launched the War of the Triple Alliance (1865-70) --often called the Paraguay War. Yiny Paraguay fought Argenytina, Brazil, and Uruguay. As a result, the country endurred the greatest lossess of any Latin American country during the catastrophic War. Something like two-thirds of all adult malesperoished--virtually unpredented in history. It also loss much of its territory. Brazil occupied the country (until 1874). The lossess were also felt economically and Paraguay entered the 20th century as one of the most backward countries in the region. Paraguayan political life became a contest between the Colorado and Liberal parties. The Colorado Pary dominated for the rest of the 19th century (1880-1904). The Liberal Party then domonated for much of the early 20th century (1904-40). Paraguay fought the Chaco War with Bolivia (1932-35). Paraguay gained a large part of the Chaco lowland region, but the War and other developments led to growing instability. General Alfredo Stroessner began a long period of personal rule (1954). He was elected to complete an unexpired term. He ws reelected seven times, but the elections were staged events. He ruled Peru under the state-of-siege provision of the constitution meant for emergency conditions. He used national security and a communist threat to justify the state-of-seige. His rule was butressed by the military and Colorado Party. He turned the country into a kind of personal fiefdom, and as a result of his dictatorial rule, Paraguay became isolated from the international community. Stroessner ruled Paraguay for 34 years (1954-89), tightly controlling the press and limiting any political opposition. Stroessner did little to modernize the coujntry and in fact prevented moderdization. General Andres Rodriguez led a military coup (February 3, 1989). The new military government oversaw presidential and congressional elections (May 1 1989). General Rodriguez running as the the Colorado Party candidate easily won the presidency and the Colorado Party gained a strong majority in the Congressional elections. Opposition parties did well in municipal elections, winning races in important urban centers, including Asuncion (1991). President Rodriguez persued important political, legal, and economic reforms helping to lay the groundwork for a successful transition to democracy. A new Constitution include needed democratic reforms, dramatically improved protection of fundamental rights (June 1992). Juan Carlos Wasmosy, the Colorado presidential candidate, won the next election (May 1993). He became the country's first civilian president in nearly 40 years. International observers reported a fair and free election. Paraguay has managed relatively free presidential elections since then, but economic progress has proven more difficult

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Created: 10:59 PM 10/17/2021
Last updated: 10:59 PM 10/17/2021