Founded in 1923 by the French colonist Jorge Naville, Paso Yobai is the largest district of the Guairá Department

Guairá Department

Guairá is a department in Paraguay. The capital is the city of Villarrica.It covers a surface of , with a population of 178130 inhabitants .You can get there through the Road nª8 Blas Garay...

, Paraguay

Paraguay

Paraguay , officially the Republic of Paraguay , is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the center of the...

. It is also the easternmost district of the department. Paso Yobai was governed as part of the district of Independencia until 1993, when it was granted independence by the central government. The largest town in the district is also named Paso Yobai, and contains around 2,500 people.

Paso Yobai is historically known for the high quality of its production of yerba mate

Yerba mate

Maté, yerba maté or erva maté , Ilex paraguariensis, is a species of holly native to subtropical South America in northeastern Argentina, Bolivia, southern Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay...

 (ilex paraguariensis). Is also known for the production of sugar-cane, cotton

Cotton

Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....

 and soy. It is a fertile and green place with beautiful rolling hills.

The Canadian company "Latin American Minerals, Inc." bought "Paraguayan Mines" in 2007 and negotiated an agreement with the Paraguayan government to begin mining in the district. The company believes that Paso Yobai may contain one of the largest gold veins of the world. Although mining has brought increased prosperity to Paso Yobai, it has also brought environmental problems, the most serious being mercury contamination in the streams.

The famous harpist, Enrique Samaniego was born in Paso Yobai.

Economy

Until recently the production and processing of yerba mate was the dominant economic activity in the district of Paso Yobai. At one time yerba mate cultivation covered 10,000 hectares of territory. Presently there are 8,000 hectares under cultivation, and gold mining has replaced yerba mate as the most lucrative economic activity. Still, yerba mate is extremely important to the local economy. Several factories in the district process yerba mate and produce brands such as Sudetia and Labrador.

While the cultivation of yerba mate, sugar cane, soybeans and other crops is still of great importance to the district, the discovery of gold encouraged many people to abandon agriculture in order to devote themselves to small scale mining. The recent presence of the Canadian company is a source of both fear and expectation. Many think that it will create good paying work and but others worry about whether they will be able to continue their small scale mining activities as the company expands its presence in the zone.

Gold Mining

Although rumors of gold had been floating for years in the area of Paso Yobai, only since the late 1990s have people actively begun mining. The gold rush began after an Ecuadorian met a young woman from Paso Yobai in Asunción

Asunción

Asunción is the capital and largest city of Paraguay.The "Ciudad de Asunción" is an autonomous capital district not part of any department. The metropolitan area, called Gran Asunción, includes the cities of San Lorenzo, Fernando de la Mora, Lambaré, Luque, Mariano Roque Alonso, Ñemby, San...

. The two got married, and the Ecuadorian discovered gold in a stream on his father-in-law's property. From there began the Gold fever that changed the life of many families.

Many locals call the small scale gold miners "garimpeiros". The steps needed to obtain the gold are varied and depend on the talent of the miner. Depending on their luck and the quality of the product, a miner might earn around 50,000 Guaranis per gram of gold powder. It generally takes between one and two days for a small scale miner to extract a gram of gold. But this gram is difficult to obtain. A garimpeiro can generally survive strictly of their mining activities if he can obtain 25 grams or more of gold a month.

Miners use mercury to separate gold from sand and clay. Unfortunately, the mercury often enters and contaminates creeks. Arroyo Gasory, Paso Yobai's largest creek, is now highly contaminated with mercury and the fish are unsafe to eat.

Patronage Festival (Fiesta Patronal)

One of the most important celebrations in Paso Yobai is the Patronage Festival (Fiesta Patronal), celebrated every August 15 honoring its saint patron, the Virgin of Our Lady Saint Mary of the Asunción.

The festivities start with the novena

Novena

In the Catholic Church, a novena is a devotion consisting of a prayer repeated on nine successive days, asking to obtain special graces. The prayers may come from prayer books, or consist of the recitation of the Rosary , or of short prayers through the day...

 each afternoon, with every neighborhood organizing one day of it. Also, on the lawn of the Catholic Church there is a religious chorus competition. People come from throughout the district to participate in this celebration.

On the morning of the 15th there is a procession with the image of the Virgin on the streets Paso Yobai, which are decorated with arcs of bamboo and paper strings. The procession proceeds to the church where the local parish priest begins the celebratory mass. After the Mass, the celebration continues with bullfights and music.

Borders of Paso Yobai

• North: The Mauricio José Troche
  Capitán Mauricio José Troche
  Mauricio José Troche is one of the districts in the Guairá department, Paraguay. It is located 183 km away from Asunción, capital of Paraguay.In this area the population dedicates mostly to the agriculture and farming...
  
   district and the Caaguazú Department
  Caaguazú Department
  Caaguazú is a department in Paraguay. The capital is the city of Coronel Oviedo.- History :The area that today is known as Caaguazú, was threatened during the 16th and 17th centuries by the Portuguese Bandeirantes and Guaicurú Indians, desolating the land for many years.In the 18th century,...
  
  .
• South: The Caazapá Department
  Caazapá Department
  Caazapá is a department in Paraguay. The capital is the city of Caazapá. Among Paraguayans, the department is well known for its orange and mandarin trees, and for its forest hills...
  
  .
• West: The Colonia Independencia
  Independencia, Paraguay
  Independencia is a town in the Guairá department of Paraguay.- Sources :* – World-Gazetteer.com...
  
   District.
• East: The Caazapá Department.

Water Systems of Paso Yobai

Through the district flows the Capiibary river and the following streams:

• Mangrullo.
• Baba.
• Pacobá.
• Curuzú.
• Ycuá Porá.
• Morotí.
• Gasory.
• Itacarú.
• Zanja Pytá.
• Cabayuby.

Demography

The main social-demographic indicators in the district report:

• Population under 15 years old: 45.2%
• Average of kids per woman: 3.6 kids
• Percentage of illiterates: 10.7%
• Percentage of the population occupied in agricultural activities: 82.0%
• Percentage of houses with electricity service: 77.8%
• Percentage of houses with water service: 12.1%

Population with unsatisfied basic needs in:

• Education: 9.6 %
• Sanitary infrastructure: 18.3 %
• Housing quality: 50.3 %
• Subsistence capacity: 17.0 %

Rural Sub-Districts

The district has 22 rural sub-districts joined by dirt roads. The most important districts are: Sudetia, Arroyo Morotí, Planchada, San Isidro, Nueva Guairá, Capii, Curuzú, Natividad, San Roque, Mangrullo, Torres Cué, Tayi, San Antonio, Nansen, 3 de Noviembre, San José, Santa María and San Francisco Berthal.

Native communities

There are several native communities in the district, containing people of the mby'a ethnicity. These communities include:

• Rancho Kuña.
• Yryvu Kua.
• Naranjito.
• Santa Teresita.
• Nance.
• Ovenia.
• Isla Hu.

How to Get to Paso Yobai from Asuncion

Following Route 2 "Mariscal José Félix Estigarribia" from Asunción

Asunción

Asunción is the capital and largest city of Paraguay.The "Ciudad de Asunción" is an autonomous capital district not part of any department. The metropolitan area, called Gran Asunción, includes the cities of San Lorenzo, Fernando de la Mora, Lambaré, Luque, Mariano Roque Alonso, Ñemby, San...

, you will arrive at Coronel Oviedo

Coronel Oviedo

Coronel Oviedo is a city in Paraguay. It is the capital of the Caaguazú Department, about 150 kilometers east of Asunción.The city has a population of about 52,400 and is the hometown of president Nicanor Duarte Frutos. Coronel Oviedo is an important transit point, as it lies halfway between...

and there takes a right at the traffic circle onto Route 8 "Doctor Blas Garay". Continue straight until you get to the Mbocayaty district. Turn left at Mbocayaty and continue on the pavement, past Melgarejo, until the pavement ends at "Almacen 50". There you turn left and continue on a dirt road for 27 kilometers until you arrive in Paso Yobai.

Transportation

Many bus lines serve Paso Yobai. Empresa Ybytyruzu has three buses a day to and from Asuncion (5 to 6 hours). Empresa Sudetia has six buses a day to and from Villarrica (2 to 2.5 hours). Empresa 8 de Noviembre has one bus a day to and from Caaguazu (1.5 hours).

Because the roads are made of dirt, often motorized vehicles have difficulty after rainstorms. Since the discovery of gold, more and more people in the district are buying and riding motorcycles.

Population

According to the most recent data provided by the General Office of Statistics, Polls and Census, this is the demographic information for the Paso Yobai district:

The total population is 25,067 inhabitants, 13.386 males and 11.682 females.

• Population from to 14 years old: 45.2%
• Population from 15 to 64 years old: 51.2%
• Population from 65 years old: 3.6%
• 92.04% of the population is settled in the rural zone.

External links

• Secretaria Nacional de Turismo
• Dirección General de Encuestas, Estadísticas y Censos
• World Gazeteer: Paraguay – World-Gazetteer.com