San Ignacio, Paraguay
Encyclopedia
San Ignacio, also known as San Ignacio Guazú, is a city and district
in the Misiones Department
of Paraguay
, located 225 kilometres (139.8 mi) from Asunción
. It is the second-largest district in area (2,020 km²) and the largest in population (24,003 pop), of Misiones' ten districts.
.
The Reinfeld community is a few kilometers away from San Ignacio, in this, there are about 30 families of Canadian origins that have lived in the country for more than 40 years now. Their houses are picturesque and with colorful gardens, that mix with soy, corn and sorghum crops.
The Jesuit Mission was established officially in 1610 with the name of “San Ignacio Guazú” so it wouldn’t be confused with another mission “San Ignacio Miní
” in Misiones, Argentina
. In February of the same year, Father Roque González de Santa Cruz
organized the mission, turning it into the center of all the Jesuit missions in Paraguay. The Jesuits that founded other towns such as: Santa Rosa
, Santiago
, Santa María
, San Cosme y Damián
and even Encarnación
, left from San Ignacio in order to do so.
Originally located in the area where nowadays is Santa Rita, moved to Santiago and later to the current location.
The first inhabitants of San Ignacio were the natives that learned many arts from the Europe
an masters.
San Ignacio is an important center for commerce, cattle and agriculture, besides from the historical and cultural richness. His strategic location, in the central area of the department and with several road sections, its population is the one with the most dynamic and economical activity of the department.
(Catholic University of Our Lady of the Ascension) offers the young people studies of: Science of Education, Law and Social Sciences, Administration, Accounting and Informatics Engineering. There is also a national university, the Universidad Nacional de Pilar and many others privates universities such as UniNorte, UTCD, UPAP, Universidad Autónoma del Sur, Universidad del Pacífico among others.
In the Diocesan Museum of Jesuit Art, that is from the time of the Spanish colony, are found statues of saints and objects of great value and variety, plus documents and maps from the first Jesuit mission in Paraguay. This museum is directed by the priests of the Company of Jesus, and it is organized in four halls:
Other historical places are the Museum of the Chaco Heroes “Museo Semblanza de Héroes” that has a collection of objects from the War of Chaco and the War against the Triple Alliance
. The House of Culture, a house from the time of the colony, is an example of the architecture of the period. One of these houses is now the Documentation Center of “Files of the Dictatorial Government of Stroessner
/ House of the Victims 1954-1989, and is located across from the church.
Every year, in January, the festivity of the Missioner Tradition is celebrated, in which are exhibited the folkloric traditions of the country, the ability for riding horses and the food. The most typical food in the area is the “batiburrillo”.
In Tañarandy, a company of the city, the front of the houses is usually painted with illustrations of the work their inhabitants do. In this place settled the natives that didn’t allowed to be dominated by the Jesuit, the name means “land of the demons” or “land of the heretic”.
A tradition of the inhabitants is that the Holy Friday, at sunset, a great procession march with candles, reliving one of the oldest catholic rituals, the singing and the “jetopa” (Guaraní word for “gathering”) of the people in the Stations of the Cross. Tourist from all around the country as well as other from outside come around this date to see “the living pictures”, when local actors represent famous painting in a special scenography. This activity was promoted by the Paraguayan artist Koki Ruíz, and counts with the support of the entire community of San Ignacio.
On May 15, it is celebrated a festivity in honor of San Isidro Labrador, in the neighborhood that carries his name. On July 31 is the festivity of San Ignacio.
Districts of Paraguay
||The departments of Paraguay are divided into districts .-List of districts:List of districts of Paraguay, showing the population and the department. This district was created after the 2002 Census....
in the Misiones Department
Misiones Department
Misiones is a department located in the southern region of Paraguay. Its capital is San Juan Bautista. The eighth of Paraguay's 17 departments, it was created in 1906, then known as the San Ignacio Department, and was not given its present name until 1945...
of 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...
, located 225 kilometres (139.8 mi) 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...
. It is the second-largest district in area (2,020 km²) and the largest in population (24,003 pop), of Misiones' ten districts.
Geography
The urban area of the district is located right in the center of the department. It is located to the south of Asunción, and can be accessed by the Route No. 1 “Mcal. Francisco Solano López”Route 1 (Paraguay)
National Route 1 is one of the most important and one of the first highways in Paraguay, which runs from the capital city, Asunción to Itapua Department's capital, Encarnación. Crossing the departments of Central, Paraguarí, Misiones and Itapua...
.
Climate
In summer, the maximum temperature is 39°C, in winter the minimum is 0°C. The annual media is about 21°C.Demography
The surface of San Ignacio Guasú is 2,020 square kilometers and has a population of 24,468 inhabitants in total, 12,095 men and 12,373 women, according to the projections of the General Direction of Statistic, Polls and Census. It is the most populated city of the Misiones Department.The Reinfeld community is a few kilometers away from San Ignacio, in this, there are about 30 families of Canadian origins that have lived in the country for more than 40 years now. Their houses are picturesque and with colorful gardens, that mix with soy, corn and sorghum crops.
History
It was founded on December 29, 1609 by the Jesuit Priests Marcial de Lorenzana and Francisco de San Martín, accompany by Cacique (native word for “chief”) Arapysandú, who took them to his lands, where they built an altar and celebrated the first mass.The Jesuit Mission was established officially in 1610 with the name of “San Ignacio Guazú” so it wouldn’t be confused with another mission “San Ignacio Miní
San Ignacio Miní
San Ignacio Miní was one of the many missions founded in 1632 by the Jesuits in the Americas during the Spanish colonial period near present-day San Ignacio valley, some 60km north of Posadas, Misiones Province, Argentina....
” in Misiones, Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
. In February of the same year, Father Roque González de Santa Cruz
Roque González de Santa Cruz
Father Roque González de Santa Cruz S.J. was born in Asunción, Paraguay on 17 November 1576. He was the son of Don Bartolomé González de Villaverde and Doña María de Santa Cruz who were Spanish nobles. Roque González spoke Guaraní fluently from an early age....
organized the mission, turning it into the center of all the Jesuit missions in Paraguay. The Jesuits that founded other towns such as: Santa Rosa
Santa Rosa, Paraguay
Santa Rosa is a town and district located in the Misiones department in Paraguay. It is one of the most important cities of the influence Jesuit.-Geography:Santa Rosa is located 257 kilometers south of Asunción on Route I "Mariscal Francisco Solano Lopez"...
, Santiago
Santiago, Paraguay
Santiago is a city of Paraguay, located in the Misiones department. It is one of the most important Jesuit missions.-Toponymy:Santiago was founded as “San Ignacio de Caaguzú”, near the Apa River, it was re-founded in the Misiones department, Paraguay, in 1669 with the name of “Santiago...
, Santa María
Santa María, Paraguay
Santa María de Fe is a town and district located in the Misiones department in Paraguay, located about 15 km from the city of San Ignacio.-Geography:The district of Santa María de Fe is located in the Eastern Region of Paraguay...
, San Cosme y Damián
San Cosme y Damián
San Cosme y Damián is a town in the Itapúa department of Paraguay.- Sources :* – World-Gazetteer.com...
and even Encarnación
Encarnación, Paraguay
Encarnación is the capital city of the Paraguayan department of Itapúa, located at the south of the department, on the right-hand shore of the Paraná River, opposite Posadas, Argentina...
, left from San Ignacio in order to do so.
Originally located in the area where nowadays is Santa Rita, moved to Santiago and later to the current location.
The first inhabitants of San Ignacio were the natives that learned many arts from the Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an masters.
Economy
Education
In San Ignacio, the campus of the Universidad Católica Nuestra Señora de la AsunciónUniversidad Católica Nuestra Señora de la Asunción
The Universidad Católica Nuestra Señora de la Asunción is a private university of Catholic obedience in Paraguay. It has 8 teaching facility centers.-External links:*...
(Catholic University of Our Lady of the Ascension) offers the young people studies of: Science of Education, Law and Social Sciences, Administration, Accounting and Informatics Engineering. There is also a national university, the Universidad Nacional de Pilar and many others privates universities such as UniNorte, UTCD, UPAP, Universidad Autónoma del Sur, Universidad del Pacífico among others.
List of high schools
| Institution name | Type | Religious Faith school A faith school is a British school teaching a general curriculum but with a particular religious character or has formal links with a religious organisation. It is distinct from an institution mainly or wholly teaching religion and related subjects... |
Shift | Secondary Educ. |
Web Page | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bachillerato Científico |
Bachillerato Técnico |
|||||
| Centro Educativo Agroecológico San Isidro Labrador | Private- subventioned |
Boarding | No |
|
||
| Colegio San Vicente de Paúl | Private- subventioned |
Catholic | Morning | Yes |
|
|
| Colegio Nacional Augusto Roa Bastos | Public | Morning | Yes | No | ||
| Colegio Nacional Don Julio Afara | Public | Morning | Yes | No | ||
| Colegio Nacional Egidio Ruiz Aranda | Public | Afternoon | Yes | No | Web site | |
| Colegio Nacional Martin Rolón | Public | Afternoon | Yes | No | ||
| Colegio Nacional Padre Luis Parola | Public | Night | Yes | No | ||
| Colegio Nacional Prof. Dr. Luis María Argaña | Public | Morning | Yes | No | ||
| Colegio Nacional San Ignacio de Loyola | Public | Morning, Afternoon |
No |
|
||
| Colegio Nacional San Ignacio | Public | Night | Yes | No | ||
| Colegio Nacional San Javier | Public | Morning | Yes | No | ||
| Colegio Nacional Santa Rita | Public | Afternoon | Yes | No | ||
| Colegio Nacional de EMD Don Rigoberto Caballero | Public | Morning, Afternoon, Night |
Yes |
|
Web site | |
| Eco Colegio Paraguay | Private | Morning, Afternoon |
No |
|
||
| Liceo Nacional Comandante Eduardo Ramirez | Public | Morning | Yes | No | ||
Tourism
It is considered “Capital of the Hispanic-Guaraní Period Baroque”, because of the countless pieces of art from that time that is preserve in the city. Some of them are pieces of the church of San Ignacio.In the Diocesan Museum of Jesuit Art, that is from the time of the Spanish colony, are found statues of saints and objects of great value and variety, plus documents and maps from the first Jesuit mission in Paraguay. This museum is directed by the priests of the Company of Jesus, and it is organized in four halls:
- The Creation (allegory: The Word of God, the fight between Good and Evil, and an image of a child guided by an Angel of the Creation)
- The Redemption (statues of the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus)
- History of Christ in the Church (images of saints)
- Jesuit Company (recreation of the history of the company that founded the missions)
Other historical places are the Museum of the Chaco Heroes “Museo Semblanza de Héroes” that has a collection of objects from the War of Chaco and the War against the Triple Alliance
War of the Triple Alliance
The Paraguayan War , also known as War of the Triple Alliance , was a military conflict in South America fought from 1864 to 1870 between Paraguay and the Triple Alliance of Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay...
. The House of Culture, a house from the time of the colony, is an example of the architecture of the period. One of these houses is now the Documentation Center of “Files of the Dictatorial Government of Stroessner
Alfredo Stroessner
Alfredo Stroessner Matiauda, whose name is also spelled Strössner or Strößner , was a Paraguayan military officer and dictator from 1954 to 1989...
/ House of the Victims 1954-1989, and is located across from the church.
Every year, in January, the festivity of the Missioner Tradition is celebrated, in which are exhibited the folkloric traditions of the country, the ability for riding horses and the food. The most typical food in the area is the “batiburrillo”.
In Tañarandy, a company of the city, the front of the houses is usually painted with illustrations of the work their inhabitants do. In this place settled the natives that didn’t allowed to be dominated by the Jesuit, the name means “land of the demons” or “land of the heretic”.
A tradition of the inhabitants is that the Holy Friday, at sunset, a great procession march with candles, reliving one of the oldest catholic rituals, the singing and the “jetopa” (Guaraní word for “gathering”) of the people in the Stations of the Cross. Tourist from all around the country as well as other from outside come around this date to see “the living pictures”, when local actors represent famous painting in a special scenography. This activity was promoted by the Paraguayan artist Koki Ruíz, and counts with the support of the entire community of San Ignacio.
On May 15, it is celebrated a festivity in honor of San Isidro Labrador, in the neighborhood that carries his name. On July 31 is the festivity of San Ignacio.