What could the Triple Alliance War, Yerba Mate, a world-renowned poet, and the first Miss Paraguay possibly have to do with each other?  Towards the end of the Triple Alliance War Brazilian troops managed to advance and occupy the capital in January 1869. Victor Hugo Heyn was an officer in the Brazilian army and was only 19 years old when he arrived in Asunción. However, despite his age, he was named sub-deputy officer of the Occupation Army. His high role meant that he was well connected and well positioned for any opportunity that might arise, so naturally, he came to meet and earn the trust of Thomas Laranjeira.  Thomas Larenjaiera was a Brazilian Yerba mate merchant and a supplier of Yerba Mate for the Brazilian military. Although he usually operated in Rio Grande Do Sul (a Brazilian state on the border of Paraguay), after Brazil advanced into Paraguayan territory, he was given farmland in Concepción and Guiará, Paraguay. Heyn, wanting a new opportunity, and Laranjeira with now much more land to manage, decided to appoint Heyn as the administrator of the Yerba Mate company in Concepción.  It was in Concepción where Heyn would fall in love with his future wife, a local woman by the name of Anselmita Denis y Espínola. Heyn began to settle down and focused on having a family, where they eventually would go on to have 12 children.  In the meanwhile, Thomas Laranjeira continued to grow his business. Laranjeira was given close to two million hectares (about the size of the state of New Jersey), which eventually expanded to 5 million hectares. Victor Heyn, an associate of Laranjeira, thus now had accumulated a large amount of wealth. The soldier turned merchant was known to have reached millionaire status – who would be a billionaire in today's age. With his newfound wealth, Heyn began the construction of a variety of estates in the late 1800's.  c On the corner of Palma and Montevideo Street in the now quaint downtown Asuncion area, you will find the Palacio Heyn, one of the most adorned and richly decorated buildings in the area. He also built a Quinta – a vacation home – 3 kilometers away in 1897 and his main residence in the city of Concepción.  Concepción is in the northeast of Paraguay, closer to the border of Brazil. It takes 6 hours to get there nowadays, which would have been an over 30-hour trip by horse North.  But his house in Asuncion was by far the most beautiful. It was designed by the Spanish architect Jose Marsal – possibly based on the design of a Swedish architect, Carl Rehnfeldt – in the late 1800s to early 1900s. It was definitely fit to be labeled as a palace. It would be that very Palace that would become a crossroad of history.  Amongst his 12 kids was Anselmita Heyn, who, in 1915, became the first Miss Paraguay. She was so beautiful that the famous Paraguayan poet and musician Manuel Ortiz Guerrero fell in love and would go on to dedicate poems to her. How their love turned out will forever go down in history unknown. But Guerrero's poem gives us a glimpse. In 1915, he published the poem where he recounts first seeing her in the Teatro Municipal Ignacio A. Pane de Asunción, where they held the competition for Miss Paraguay. The poem goes:  Ya antes te he visto tras sueño lejano [I have seen you before after a distant dream] Y anoche en el teatro con fe y devoción [And last night at the theater with faith and devotion] Tomaba, señora, con mi propia mano, [I took, lady, with my own hand,] Para que no caiga de mí el corazón. [So that my heart does not fall from me.] To thank Guerrero for his poem, Ofrendia, dedicated to her, she decided to send him a payment as a sign of thanks. The legend goes that he took one of the 50-pound bills from the payment and sent another poem on the back.  The best evidence of this mysterious "back of a bill" poem is Endoso Lirico by Manuel Guerrero Ortiz. In the book "Ortiz Guerrero - Complete Poems" by Catalo Bogado, he states that the poem Endoso Lirico (Lyrical Endorsement ) was written on an ordinary piece of paper and folded between bills of cash. But what is so unclear is: why would Ortiz wait till 1928 to publish this poem, and not in 1915 when they first met? The poem goes like this:  No todo en este mundo es mercancía [Not everything in this world is merchandise.] Ni tampoco el dinero es el blasón [Nor is money the emblem] Mejor pulido por la cortesía [Better polished by courtesy] Para la ufanía de mi corrección, [For the pride of my correction,] Sobre la torre de mi bizarría [On the tower of my bizarreness] Sin mancha flota el lírico pendón, [Without stain the lyrical banner floats,] Como ebrio de azul, hago poesía, [As if drunk with blue, I make poetry,] Pero honrado es mi pan, como varón [But honest is my bread, like a man] Devuélvole este billete a Ud., precioso [Give this bill back to you, precious] Con mi firma insolvente por endoso; [With my insolvent signature by endorsement;]  Sométalo a la ley de la conversión [Subject it to the law of conversion] Que, a pesar de juzgárseme indigente [That, despite judging me destitute] Lleva un potosí de oro viviente [He carries a potosí of living gold] Que pesa como un mundo, el corazón [That weighs like a world, the heart.] He might have held onto the bill, and only when his death was coming did he decide to spend it and publish the poem. We will never be sure.  The Palace sang a similar tune and slowly began to get lost in time. The Palace was turned into a headquarters for the Uruguayan legation, then transitioned to be the storefront for multiple businesses before finally becoming a hotel. But once the hotel moved, it was entirely abandoned and continues to be till today.  It is unclear what happened to the other estates and kids. However, the Quinta   was given to Anselmita Heyn, and she held onto it until her death. The house still stands today. It is now attached to the new Brazilian embassy building and serves as the cultural center of Brazil.  Quinta home Think about your home? How much can someone else learn about you by stepping into your home? Buildings in Asuncion's center tell a story about a transition from colony to independence. But the cramped downtown has become less and less fashionable over the years as people move to more modern suburbs. However, buildings can transcend history and time and tell us the days of the past.  There is so much to learn from architecture, and while many buildings have been demolished and archives lost, there is still much to learn from a building that you might drive by. ---------- This post was written using information provided by @BellurasDelCha Image credit: @BellurasDelCha More sources include: Asuncion.gov.py abc.com.py

Hidden away in an unassuming corner of the Paraguayan town of Areguá lies a communal treasure. Old train tracks lay intertwined between vines and Paraguay's iconic red, iron-rich soil. The soil of Areguá not only serves as the foundation for the economy, but it is the very source of life for El Cántaro Bioescuela Popular. Bright red strawberries pop out the soil—buildings structured by handcrafted bricks. Areguá, known as the town of creativity, is surrounded by its soil in almost all aspects. The soil fuels the local economy through strawberries and pottery, but it also serves as the building block for El Cantaro. Famous church in the Areguá center. In 2007, the founders sought to create an educative space focused on social transformation through education, art, and music. The school began hosting its first activities on the sidewalks of Areguá or in private homes. However, the founders soon realized that they needed a place to call home. A permanent place where others could call home and find success in learning the arts and music. Credit to Colegio Cantaro website. Madre Tierra ( Mother Earth) is a common phrase heard around town. But El Cantaro epitomized it. The earth and objects around them became the mother that would give birth to this new school.  In  2012, the founders purchased a plot of land and began the task of constructing a school from the very earth beneath their feet. Walls and roofs were assembled from the very materials that lay around them. Random objects that lay clutter in the houses of others or items on the street were all repurposed. Even an old 20th-century carriage wheel was incorporated as a window. De-labeled wine bottles were used as windows, and even a new guitar found its way into the outlay of one of the outer walls. One of the school's mottos says, "One person cannot build a house, but 10 people can build 10 homes." Rather than raise money to fund the construction, they took a more meaningful approach: they turned to the community, using local resources and the hands of students and neighbors to build together. If ancient methods have long surpassed the fluctuations of society, climate, and culture, why not use them again? So, instead of using imported or synthetic materials, they focused on low-carbon, low-footprint resources. The direct involvement of students instilled a sense of confidence that they can form an impact, no matter how big or small. It wasn't just a way for the students to connect with nature and the community but with each other. Left: red clay is pulled from this well. Right: red clay is really everywhere! When I visited El Cantaro, I was struck by their utility. The walls woven from local straw and dried dirt. Glass of different shades of clay from different backyards made the wall appear as if it rose from earth itself. The Cantaro is like the extending hand of nature, encouraging us to reconnect with traditions and ancient techniques that have defined this place. It is a place that people can call home. They let me have a go at it. Expert with over 20 years experience. Within seconds he can transform a blob of clay into artwork.

In the heart of Paraguay's lush landscapes and vibrant culture lies a journey woven with the threads of resilience, struggle, and triumph. The journey of Ana Romero, a guardian of Paraguay’s indigenous heritage and a beacon of hope for her people. Ana's story begins in the department of Boqueren , in the upper expanse of the Paraguayan Chaco where the rhythmic melodies of the Guarani people echo through the ancient forests. She was born into the pueblo indigena guaraní , one of the 19 indigenous communities of Paraguay. Growing up in the shadow of the Chaco War, Ana listened to her grandfather's stories of survival, sparking a deep curiosity about her heritage. She would listen to the tales and the vivid experiences of her grandfather as her 60 fellow grandchildren would walk with her through former military bases, hospital tents, and land where war once was. She developed a burning desire to learn more and more of where she was from, her family's stories, and the tales they had to tell. She felt a restless yearning for knowledge. In the walls of her local school her intellect blossomed, but it was when her elders encouraged her to join the cultural youth group of her pueblo , where she really delved into the intricacies of her cultural heritage, and immersed herself in the tradition of her people.  It started with her working with the other youth leaders in her community to host the Arete Guasu, a 3 day fest where all the families of the Guarani community would come together to honor the dead, and to remember the history of their people. They would dance, tell stories of their upbringings, dress up, and play games that dated back to the earliest time of their people. However, her elders noticed something special in her: her compassion, her yearning to bring change, and the strength she found through her culture. They knew that she was destined for greatness. They knew that she would be the light guiding forward the fight to protect the cultural heritage of Paraguay.  Anna was appointed as a member of the youth council of her tribe, a significant honor bestowed upon her. In her tribe, as in many others, women serve as the guardians of knowledge and culture. Entrusted with the preservation of language, territory, traditional crafts, and ancestral wisdom, they are the beating hearts of their communities, carrying the accumulated knowledge of generations. Recognizing the pivotal role of indigenous women, Anna felt a profound sense of duty to advocate for increased participation in political, social, and economic spheres: “It is important that within the political programs and in the very powers of the State they take into account the vision of indigenous women,” emphasizes Romero. She understood that the role of women’s perspective in shaping policy and governance was critical. And inclusively empowering indigenous womens’ voices is crucial for the survival and prosperity of their communities both now and in the years to come. Armed with ambition and armed with a degree in international relations, Anna embarked on a mission to uplift her community and amplify the voices of her culture on a global stage. Her journey led her to the heart of the Brazilian Amazon, where she stood shoulder to shoulder with the Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra (MST), rallying for the conservation of native lands in the Amazon. Upon returning home, she founded the Indigenous Youth Union of Paraguay, a platform dedicated to empowering youth and women to become the future stewards of indigenous cultures. From Belgium to Brazil, Anna's travels left an indelible mark, reminding us all that we are guardians of biodiversity, custodians of history, and architects of our future. She urges us to take action and shape the world we envision for generations to come.

On a calm Saturday morning, the tranquil chirp of birds and multi-colored parrots streaking the sky is interrupted by a lovely cacophony of sounds. At 6 AM , the first act makes its move: a Chipa vendor on a motorcycle, retrofitted with booming speakers, cruises down the quiet streets broadcasting his catchy tune: “Chipa Chipa, Chipa Barrero, Chipa almidón, Chipa so’o, crocante, calentita, ¡venga que pruebe!” This melody, infused with nostalgia, is known to every Paraguayan. Almost every type of Chipa, a beloved Paraguayan cheese bread, is strapped on his motorcycle. He makes his rounds in the early dawn, providing a warm, crispy delight for breakfast. Security guards who've had a long night, folks waking up, or children getting ready for school flag him down as he drives by. But his performance doesn't end there. After restocking back at home, he often returns in the afternoon for those that crave a snack during merienda [a midday meal to keep your stomach satisfied ill dinner late at 9, often accompanied with tereré]. As the day warms, another familiar sound dances through the air: the high-pitched whistle of an elderly man pushing a small blue ice cart filled with refreshing ice cream, or helado . When I first moved here, I thought its high pitched chirp was some sort of bird. But after later realization, it's unmistakable tone falls right between that of a bird and a whistle, and is enough to persuade anyone outside on a hot day for a sweet treat. Later in the afternoon, around 5 PM, the roads come alive once again as a vendor selling Bollos—a type of hole-less doughnut filled with creamy dulce de leche or guayaba—passes by, offering a sweet indulgence to those seeking a treat. In Paraguay, the roads are never empty, and there’s always a chance to satisfy your cravings. Whether it’s a warm Chipa, a refreshing ice treat, or a sweet Bollo, the vibrant day-long symphony of sounds and flavors of the streets ensure that your belly will never go hungry. Some have even turned the classic chipa tune into a disco version....