'Asunción' (full name: 'Nuestra Señora Santa María de la Asunción'), population 512,112 (
2002), is the
capital of
Paraguay. The
metropolitan area, named ''
Gran Asunción'', includes the cities of
San Lorenzo,
Fernando de la Mora,
Lambaré,
Luque,
Mariano Roque Alonso,
Ñemby and
Villa Elisa; having more than 1.8
million inhabitants. Asunción is located at (-25.2667, -57.6667).
It is the home of the national government, principal port, chief industrial and cultural centre of the country. Local manufacturing production includes
footwear,
textiles, and
tobacco products.
The Spanish word ''asunción'' means ''assumption'' in English. It refers to the
Assumption of Mary; the full name means ''Our Lady, Holy Mary of the Assumption''.
History
Construction of builidings in Asunción, 1892
Asunción is one of the oldest cities in
South America, being known as "Mother of Cities". It was from here that the colonial expeditions departed to found other cities, including the second foundation of
Buenos Aires and of other important cities such as
Villarrica,
Corrientes,
Santa Fe and
Santa Cruz de la Sierra. The site of the city may have been first visited by
Juan de Ayolas, but the town, called ''Nuestra Señora de la Asunción'' (
Our Lady of the Assumption), was founded on the feast day of the Assumption
August 15,
1537, by
Juan de Salazar and
Gonzalo de Mendoza, relative of
Pedro de Mendoza. Thus, the city became the center of a large Spanish colonial province comprising part of Brazil, present-day Paraguay and northeastern Argentina: the
Giant Province of the Indies. In 1603 Asunción was the seat of the
First Synod of Asunción, which set guidelines for the
evangelization of the natives in their
lingua franca,
Guaraní.
Asunción. The stamp is Scott no. 711
In
1731 an uprising under
José de Antequera y Castro was one of the first rebellions against
Spanish colonial rule. The uprising failed but it was the first sign of the independent spirit that was growing among the
criollos,
mestizos and
natives of Paraguay. The event influenced the independence of Paraguay, which then materialised in
1811. The secret reunions between the independence leaders to plan an ambush against the Spanish Governor in Paraguay
Bernardo de Velasco were held at the home of
Juana María de Lara, in downtown Asunción. On the night of
May 14 and
May 15 the rebels succeeded and were able to force the governor Velasco to surrender. Today, Lara's home is known as
Casa de la Independencia (House of the Independence) and serves as a museum and historical building.
After Paraguay became independent, there was significant change in Asunción. Under the presidency of
Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia roads were made throughout the city and the streets were named. However, it was during the presidency of
Carlos Antonio López that Asunción (and Paraguay) progressed, as the new president implemented new economic policies. More than 400 schools, metallurgic factories and the first railroad service in
South America were built during the López presidency. After López died, his son
Francisco Solano López became the new president and led the country through the disastrous
War of the Triple Alliance that lasted for five years. After the
War of the Triple Alliance (
1865-
70), Asunción was occupied by
Brazilian troops until
1876.
Many historians have claimed that this war has provoked the constant downfall of the city and country, since it massacred two thirds of the country's population. Progress has been tremendously slowed down ever since, and the economy has constantly found itself in stagnation.
Demographics
Panteón Nacional de los Héroes
Asunción's current population is approximately 539,000 people in the city proper. Roughly 30% of Paraguay's 6 million people live within Greater Asunción. Sixty-five percent of the total population in the city are under the age of 30.
The population has increased greatly during the last few decades as a consequence of internal
migration from other
Departments of Paraguay at first because of the economic boom in the 1970s, and later because of economic recession in the countryside. The adjacent cities in the Gran Asunción area like
Luque,
Lambaré,
San Lorenzo,
Fernando de la Mora and
Mariano Roque Alonso have absorbed most of this influx due to the low cost of the land and easy access to Asunción. The city has ranked as the least expensive city to live in for five years running by Mercer Human Resource Consulting. These cities have also experienced significant economic growth and expansion, to the point that the boundaries between Asunción and its adjacent cities has almost but disappeared.
Geography
Asunción is located between the
parallels 25º 15' and 25º 20' of south
latitude and between the meridians 57º 40' and 57º 30' of west
longitude. The city sits on the left bank of the
Paraguay River, which separates the city in the north-west from the Occidental Region of Paraguay and
Argentina in the south part of the city. The rest of the city is surrounded by the
Central Department.
Physical setting
Since the location is right next to the Paraguay River the city offers beautiful landscapes and spreads out on gentle hills in a pattern of rectangular blocks. Places like
Cerro Lambaré (a hill) located in
Lambaré offer a spectacular show in the spring because of the
lapacho trees in the area. Parks like Parque Independencia and Parque Carlos Antonio López offer big areas of typical Paraguayan nature and are often frequented by tourists. There are several slightly elevated areas throughout the city (small hills) such as Cabará, Clavel, Tarumá, Cachinga, Tacumbú, among others.
Asunción at night
Climate
The climate of Asunción can be described as warm and humid for most of the year. The average temperature of the city is 24.0
°C (75.2
°F). The average maximum is 29.4 °C (84.9 °F) and the average minimum is 19.2 °C (66.6 °F). In 2002, the registered level of rain was 1,420 millimeters. Usually, October is the month with the most
precipitation, while September is the month with the least.
Neighbourhoods
The neighbourhoods of Asunción, called "
barrios" by its residents, are territorial subdivisions established by law.
The city of Asunción is composed of the following neighbourhoods:
Education
The literacy rate is 95 percent, the highest in Paraguay. The number of schools has doubled since 1982, creating many new of jobs for teachers. Student numbers have doubled since 1962.
Schools
The city has a large number of both public and private schools. The most known public schools are the ''Colegio Nacional de la Capital'' (which is one of the oldest schools in the city , founded after the Triple Alliance War in 1877), ''Colegio Presidente Franco'' and the ''Colegio Nacional de Niñas'' (a girls-only school). The most known private schools are ''Internacional'', ''Colegio San José'' (Catholic school),
American School of Asunción,
Colegio Dante Alighieri'' (Italian private school), ''Colegio Goethe'' (German school), and Colegio San Ignacio de Loyola.
Universities
The main universities in the city are the
Universidad Católica Nuestra Señora de la Asunción (private Catholic University) and the
Universidad Nacional de Asunción (state-run). The Católica has a small campus in the downtown area next to the Cathedral and a larger campus in the adjoining city of
Lambaré, while the Universidad Nacional has its main campus near the adjoining city of
San Lorenzo. There are also a number of smaller privately run universities such as
Universidad Americana and
Universidad Autónoma de Asunción
Commerce and Industry
Since its foundation, Asunción has always been the center of the economic activity in Paraguay. This is mainly due to the location of all the national politic governing bodies and because most of the industrial, diplomatic and economic activities are taken in the city. Most of the population concentrates on commerce and services, followed by the industry and construction sector.
Agriculture and
animal husbandry is basically non-existent because Asunción is a strictly urban area.
Transportation
Central Bus Terminal
Because the
Paraguay River runs right next to Asunción the city is served by a river terminal in the downtown area and in the Sajonia neighbourhood. Public transportation is used heavily and is served through buses that reach all the regions of the city. The main long-distance bus terminal is on the Republica Argentina Avenue and its bus services connect all of the
Departments of Paraguay, as well as international routes to nearby countries such as Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia and Uruguay. Asunción is served by the
Silvio Pettirossi International Airport located in the city of
Luque.
Tourist attractions
Traditional buildings in Calle Palma
The city is home to the
Godoy Museum and the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes (which contains old paintings from the XIX century), the
Church of La Encarnación and the
Cathedral, and the
Panteón Nacional de los Héroes, a smaller version of
Les Invalides in
Paris, where many of the nation's heroes are entombed. Other landmarks include the
Palacio de los López (presidential palace)
[1],
[2], the old Senate building (a modern building opened to house Congress in 2003), the Catedral Metropolitana and the
Casa de la Independencia (one of the few examples of colonial architecture remaining in the city).
Calle Palma is the main street in downtown where several historical building, plazas, shops, restaurants and cafes are located. The "Manzana de la Rivera", located in front of the presidential palace, is a series of old traditional homes that have been restored that act as a museum and showcases the architectural evolution of the city. The old railway station still maintains the old trains that now are used in tourist trips to the cities of
Luque and
Areguá (see
Rail transport in Paraguay).
Asunción also has luxurious malls that contain shops of well-known brands. The biggest shopping malls are
Shopping del Sol, which includes a Macy's-style department store;
Mariscal Lopez Shopping, Shopping Villa Morra in the central part of the city and the downtown-located Mall Excelsior.
Sports and entertainment
Football is the main sport in Paraguay, and Asunción is home to some of the most important and traditional football teams like
Olimpia,
Cerro Porteño and
Club Libertad,
Club Nacional,
Club Guaraní,
Club Sol de América, which have their own stadiums and sport facilities for affiliated members. The
Defensores del Chaco stadium is the main football stadium of the country and is located in the neighbourhood of
Sajonia, just a few minutes away from the centre of Asunción. Since it is a
national stadium sometimes it is used for other activities such as
rock concerts.
The nightlife revolves around two areas: one in the downtown part of the city and the other in the neighbourhoods of
Manora and Las Carmelitas, a strip full of
nightclubs and bars.
Sister cities
★
Buenos Aires,
Argentina
★
Resistencia,
Argentina
★
Campinas,
São Paulo State,
Brazil
★
Curitiba,
Paraná State,
Brazil
★
São Paulo,
São Paulo State,
Brazil
★
Chiba,
Chiba Prefecture,
Japan
★
Madrid,
Spain
★
Miami-Dade County,
Florida,
United States
References and external links
★
Senatur Asunción Info (in Spanish)
★
Map of downtown area and a downloadable map of the city (
part 1)
★
Municipality of Asunción
★
Additional Pictures of Asunción
★
The Tramway System of Asunción
★
Old Pictures / Postcards of Asunción
★
Satellite map of bus station
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