Paraguay — books & literature

The story of Paraguay

Long before Europeans arrived, the Guaraní people lived across the forests and grasslands of what is now Paraguay, and their language survives today as one of the country's two official tongues. Spanish colonists founded Asunción in 1537, and from the early 1600s Jesuit missionaries built a network of self-governing Guaraní "reductions" that thrived for over 150 years until the Jesuits were expelled in 1767. Paraguay broke from Spain in 1811 and, under the isolationist dictator José Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia, became one of the most closed states in the Americas. The catastrophic War of the Triple Alliance (1864-1870) against Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay devastated the population and economy, and the country later won the Chaco War against Bolivia (1932-1935). A long 20th-century dictatorship under Alfredo Stroessner (1954-1989) gave way to democracy after 1989. Today Paraguay is defined by its bilingual Guaraní-Spanish culture, the shared Itaipu hydroelectric dam, and a resilient national identity forged through hardship.

Timeline — key moments

1. 1537

   Asunción founded by Spanish explorer Juan de Salazar (15 August).

2. 1609

   Jesuit missionaries begin building self-governing Guaraní mission communities ("reductions").

3. 1767

   Jesuits expelled from Spanish America; the mission system collapses.

4. 1811

   Paraguay declares independence from Spain (14-15 May).

5. 1814-1840

   José Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia rules as an isolationist dictator for life.

6. 1864-1870

   War of the Triple Alliance against Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay devastates the country.

7. 1932-1935

   Chaco War against Bolivia over the Gran Chaco region, won by Paraguay.

8. 1954-1989

   Alfredo Stroessner rules as dictator for 35 years, one of the longest in South America.

9. 1989

   Stroessner overthrown in a coup; transition toward democracy begins.

10. 1992

    A new democratic constitution is adopted.

Top 10 things to know about Paraguay

1. Paraguay is one of only two landlocked countries in South America (with Bolivia).
2. Guaraní and Spanish are both official languages, and most Paraguayans speak Guaraní daily.
3. The Itaipu Dam, shared with Brazil on the Paraná River, is one of the largest hydroelectric plants in the world.
4. The War of the Triple Alliance (1864-1870) was one of the deadliest conflicts in Latin American history.
5. 17th-18th century Jesuit mission ruins in Paraguay are recognised as UNESCO World Heritage sites.
6. The guaraní has been the name of the national currency since 1944.
7. Paraguay won the Chaco War against Bolivia (1932-1935) over the Gran Chaco region.
8. Ñandutí, a delicate spiderweb-pattern lace, is a signature Paraguayan handicraft.
9. Alfredo Stroessner's 1954-1989 rule was one of the longest dictatorships in South American history.
10. The harp is considered Paraguay's national instrument and anchors its folk music tradition.

Famous people from Paraguay

Say it in Paraguay's language

Did you know?

• ★Guaraní is one of the few indigenous languages in the Americas spoken daily by a majority of a country's non-indigenous population.
• ★Paraguay is one of only two landlocked countries in all of South America.
• ★The War of the Triple Alliance left Paraguay's post-war population overwhelmingly female due to massive wartime losses among men.

Paraguay culture

• Tereré, a cold infusion of yerba mate sipped from a shared guampa, is a daily social ritual, especially in the heat.
• Ñandutí ("spiderweb") lace, traditionally made in the town of Itauguá, is a prized Paraguayan handicraft.
• The harp and guitar are central to Paraguayan folk music, epitomised by composer Agustín Barrios Mangoré.
• Sopa paraguaya, a moist cornbread despite its name meaning "soup," is a national specialty dish.

Why read Paraguay's books

Paraguay's literature carries the imprint of a bilingual Guaraní-Spanish identity and a history of isolation, war, and exile , nowhere more so than in the work of Augusto Roa Bastos. The shelves below open a window into that story.