Welcome to Asunción, the capital and largest city of Paraguay, on the eastern bank of the Paraguay River, just north of where the Pilcomayo River joins it. Across the water lies Argentina. Asunción is one of the oldest cities in South America and the longest continually inhabited place in the Río de la Plata Basin. It is known as the Mother of Cities, because Spanish expeditions set out from here to found many others, including the second foundation of Buenos Aires. Today it is home to all three branches of the state. Let's explore its palaces and plazas.
Palacio de los López
Photo: MosheA · CC0 · Wikimedia CommonsOverlooking Asunción Bay stands the Palacio de los López, the neoclassical seat of the government of Paraguay. It was ordered by Carlos Antonio López, the country's first president, who dreamed of a López dynasty and meant the palace for his son, Francisco Solano López. Yet the son never lived here. Construction began in 1857 under the English architect Alonso Taylor, but during the War of the Triple Alliance, Brazilian and Argentine forces sacked the city in 1869, looting the palace. It was finally completed in 1894.
National Pantheon of the Heroes
Photo: Felipe Antonio · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia CommonsIn the heart of downtown stands the National Pantheon of the Heroes, a national monument and the state mausoleum. It began in 1863 as a chapel to the Assumption of Mary, ordered by Francisco Solano López. After the War of the Triple Alliance, the building stood unfinished, wrapped in scaffolding for over 70 years, and was only completed in 1936, after the Chaco War. Here lie key figures of Paraguayan history, as well as the child martyrs of the Battle of Acosta Ñu and two Unknown Soldiers. Above the entrance, a Latin inscription reads Fides et Patria, my faith and my country.
Asunción Cathedral
Photo: FF MM · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsIn the historic centre rises the Metropolitan Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption, the main Catholic church of Asunción. This was the first diocese of the Río de la Plata region. The present building was constructed under Carlos Antonio López and inaugurated in 1845. It is dedicated to Our Lady of the Assumption, patroness of the city, and as you step inside, look towards the high altar, which is coated in silver.
Casa de la Independencia Museum
Photo: Fernando Boccia · Public domain · Wikimedia CommonsOn a street corner in the old town stands a modest colonial house with an extraordinary story. On the evening of 14 May 1811, a group of Paraguayans emerged from this house to declare the independence of Paraguay, and behind these walls the break from Spanish rule was quietly planned. The house was built in 1772 by the Spanish settler Antonio Martínez Sáenz, with adobe walls, a thatched roof and a framework of bamboo and palm wood. Since 1965 it has been a museum and is now a national monument.
Municipal Theatre Ignacio A. Pane
Photo: Patty P · Public domain · Wikimedia CommonsThe Municipal Theatre of Asunción has deep roots. The first building on this site was inaugurated in 1844 and served as the meeting place for the First National Congress. In 1855 President Carlos Antonio López, convinced the city needed culture, had a theatre opened in the old Congress building. Later, a Catalan businessman, Baudillo Alió, was allowed to replace it with a new National Theatre, which opened in 1889 with an orchestra playing works by Verdi and Schubert.
Botanical Garden and Zoo of Asunción
Photo: Diego Toledo · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsTo the north of the city, a natural forest of 110 hectares holds the Botanical Garden and Zoo of Asunción, one of the city's main open spaces. The zoo is home to nearly 70 species, mostly animals of South America, while the garden shows off native trees in all their lush variety. This estate was once the country house of Carlos Antonio López, president of Paraguay, who had his home, Casa López, built here in the 1840s. The house is now a protected heritage building.
Lomakuume
