Misiones Department
Encyclopedia
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. Its current name reflects its status as home to several Jesuit Reductions
, or missions.
Located in a relatively isolated part of the country, far from the capital city of Asunción
and other important population centers such as Ciudad del Este
and Encarnación
, Misiones has remained one of the least developed and poorer departments in the country.
Misiones borders the departments of Paraguarí
and Caazapá
to the north, Itapúa
to the east, Ñeembucú
to the west, and the Corrientes Province
of Argentina
to the south.
The modern settling of Misiones began with the arrival of Jesuit missionaries to the region in the 17th century and the subsequent establishment of several reductions whose purpose was to both civilize and catechize
the indigenous Guaraní peoples. While several of these reductions would ultimately be in Argentinian and Brazil
ian territory, 8 of the reductions would remain in Paraguay, concentrated in what would become the Misiones and Itapúa departments. Some of these reductions, namely San Ignacio Guazú, Santa Maria de Fe and Santiago would become the foundation for subsequent towns in Misiones.
The town of Yabebyry was established in 1790, and later, during the presidency of Carlos Antonio López, the towns of San Miguel and San Juan Bautista were founded. When the Misiones department was created in 1906 as the San Ignacio department, these towns were made several of the department's first 8 districts, along with Santa Rosa, Ayolas and Villa Florida. When the department was renamed in 1945, its capital was moved from San Ignacio to San Juan Bautista.
and the Paraná
rivers, the latter of which is an important waterway in the region. A number of other streams cross the department, including the Yabebyry, Atingui, San Roque, Sauce, Uruguay, Ca'a Po'i, Tororo, San Tadeo, San Antonio and Itay.
:
The basic economical activity of this department is the cattle breeding. This is the main production . Also they have pigs, sheep, horses and goats, this one is the least.
Regarding the agriculture, the fields are mainly in the north and center of the department. In its lands they can grow rice, soya, corn, sweet oranges , sugar cane, sweet potatoes, cotton and potatoes.
and Encarnación
via Route 1, the Mariscal Francisco Solano López Highway, which passes through Villa Florida, San Miguel, San Juan Bautista, San Ignacio, Santa Rosa and San Patricio. The southern part of the department is also accessible to the Paraná River, which is navigable by large cargo ships downstream of the Yacyretá Dam
near Ayolas. The Route 4 connects Misiones with Ñeembucú department
. Small airports are also located in San Juan Bautista and in Ayolas (Juan de Ayolas Airport
) to the south.
This department is known by the great work of evangelization by the Jesuits priests who founded the place with many reductions. A few towns still have the remains of this time such as the colonial churches.
Part of the historical remains is exposed in the Museums with many samples of wooden carvings made by the Indians at the reductions.
Departments of Paraguay
|Paraguay consists of 17 departments and one capital district . These are, with their capitals indicated in parentheses:- External links :...
located in the southern region 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...
. Its capital is San Juan Bautista
San Juan Bautista, Paraguay
San Juan Bautista, capital of the Department of Misiones, Paraguay, is considered the cradle of the religious mission culture. The city is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Juan Bautista de las Misiones.-Geography:...
. 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. Its current name reflects its status as home to several Jesuit Reductions
Jesuit Reductions
A Jesuit Reduction was a type of settlement for indigenous people in Latin America created by the Jesuit Order during the 17th and 18th centuries. In general, the strategy of the Spanish Empire was to gather native populations into centers called Indian Reductions , in order to Christianize, tax,...
, or missions.
Located in a relatively isolated part of the country, far from the capital city of 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...
and other important population centers such as Ciudad del Este
Ciudad del Este
Ciudad del Este is the second largest city in Paraguay and capital of Alto Paraná department, located at the Rio Paraná....
and 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...
, Misiones has remained one of the least developed and poorer departments in the country.
Misiones borders the departments of Paraguarí
Paraguarí Department
Paraguarí is a departamento in Paraguay. At the 2002 census it had a population of 221,932. The capital is the city of Paraguarí.- History :...
and Caazapá
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...
to the north, Itapúa
Itapúa Department
Itapúa is a department in the southern region of Paraguay. The capital is the city of Encarnación. It is divided into 30 districts, making it the department with the most districts in the country.-History:...
to the east, Ñeembucú
Ñeembucú Department
Ñeembucú is a department located in the south of the Eastern Region of Paraguay. The capital is Pilar. The department is almost entirely rural, and is home to some of the oldest and best-preserved Jesuit ruins, which are located near the town of Humaitá.-Districts:The department is divided in 16...
to the west, and the Corrientes Province
Corrientes Province
Corrientes is a province in northeast Argentina, in the Mesopotamia region. It is surrounded by : Paraguay, the province of Misiones, Brazil, Uruguay, and the provinces of Entre Rios, Santa Fe and Chaco.-History:...
of 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...
to the south.
History
Catechism
A catechism , i.e. to indoctrinate) is a summary or exposition of doctrine, traditionally used in Christian religious teaching from New Testament times to the present...
the indigenous Guaraní peoples. While several of these reductions would ultimately be in Argentinian and Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian territory, 8 of the reductions would remain in Paraguay, concentrated in what would become the Misiones and Itapúa departments. Some of these reductions, namely San Ignacio Guazú, Santa Maria de Fe and Santiago would become the foundation for subsequent towns in Misiones.
The town of Yabebyry was established in 1790, and later, during the presidency of Carlos Antonio López, the towns of San Miguel and San Juan Bautista were founded. When the Misiones department was created in 1906 as the San Ignacio department, these towns were made several of the department's first 8 districts, along with Santa Rosa, Ayolas and Villa Florida. When the department was renamed in 1945, its capital was moved from San Ignacio to San Juan Bautista.
Geography
Misiones department is relatively flat and crossed by a number of rivers and streams. The northern and southern borders of the department are formed by, respectively, the TebicuaryTebicuary River
The Tebicuary River , a tributary of Paraguay River is a river in Paraguay. Located in the southwestern part of that country, it flows eastwards discharging to Paraguay River about 45 km south of Formosa and 30 km north of Pilar....
and the Paraná
Paraná River
The Paraná River is a river in south Central South America, running through Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina for some . It is second in length only to the Amazon River among South American rivers. The name Paraná is an abbreviation of the phrase "para rehe onáva", which comes from the Tupi language...
rivers, the latter of which is an important waterway in the region. A number of other streams cross the department, including the Yabebyry, Atingui, San Roque, Sauce, Uruguay, Ca'a Po'i, Tororo, San Tadeo, San Antonio and Itay.
Districts
The department is divided into ten districtsDistricts 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....
:
| District | Area (km²) | Population (2002) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ayolas | 1060 | 15.219 | |
| San Ignacio San Ignacio, Paraguay San Ignacio, also known as San Ignacio Guazú, is a city and district in the Misiones Department of Paraguay, located from Asunción. It is the second-largest district in area and the largest in population , of Misiones' ten districts.-Geography:The urban area of the district is located right in... |
2020 | 24.003 | |
| San Juan Btta. San Juan Bautista, Paraguay San Juan Bautista, capital of the Department of Misiones, Paraguay, is considered the cradle of the religious mission culture. The city is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Juan Bautista de las Misiones.-Geography:... |
2300 | 16.563 | |
| San Miguel San Miguel, Paraguay San Miguel is one of the ten districts of the Misiones Department in Paraguay. San Miguel is known as the Wool Capital.- Geography :San Miguel is located 178 km south from Asunción, the capital city of Paraguay. You can get there taking the Route Number 1 from Asuncion.- Sources :* –... |
540 | 5.253 | |
| San Patricio San Patricio, Paraguay San Patricio is a town and district located in the Misiones department in Paraguay.... |
190 | 3.570 | |
| 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... |
520 | 7.385 | |
| 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"... |
1010 | 17.612 | |
| 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... |
740 | 6.753 | |
| Villa Florida Villa Florida Villa Florida is a city of southernmost Paraguay, located on the Tebicuary River, at the entrance of Misiones Region. Initially, when it was established by the Jesuits in 1632, it was called Paso Santa María. It was officially founded as a city on September 6, 1880 during Bernardino Caballero's... |
196 | 2.576 | |
| Yabebyry Yabebyry Yabebyry is a toen and distrito in the Misiones department of Paraguay.- Sources :* – World-Gazetteer.com... |
984 | 2.854 |
Economy
Regarding the agriculture, the fields are mainly in the north and center of the department. In its lands they can grow rice, soya, corn, sweet oranges , sugar cane, sweet potatoes, cotton and potatoes.
Transportation
Misiones is connected to AsunciónAsunción
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...
and 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...
via Route 1, the Mariscal Francisco Solano López Highway, which passes through Villa Florida, San Miguel, San Juan Bautista, San Ignacio, Santa Rosa and San Patricio. The southern part of the department is also accessible to the Paraná River, which is navigable by large cargo ships downstream of the Yacyretá Dam
Yacyretá Dam
The Yacyretá Dam or Hydroelectric Power Station Jasyretâ-Apipé is a dam and hydroelectric power plant built over the waterfalls of Jasyretâ-Apipé in the Paraná River, between the Argentine Province of Corrientes and the Paraguayan City of Ayolas. The dam is named for Yacyretâ Island just upstream,...
near Ayolas. The Route 4 connects Misiones with Ñeembucú department
Ñeembucú Department
Ñeembucú is a department located in the south of the Eastern Region of Paraguay. The capital is Pilar. The department is almost entirely rural, and is home to some of the oldest and best-preserved Jesuit ruins, which are located near the town of Humaitá.-Districts:The department is divided in 16...
. Small airports are also located in San Juan Bautista and in Ayolas (Juan de Ayolas Airport
Juan de Ayolas Airport
Juan de Ayolas Airport is a small airport that serves the city of Ayolas, in the Misiones Department of Paraguay.The airport is named after Juan de Ayolas. It is operated by both Argentine and Paraguayan authorities.-External links:*...
) to the south.
Education
There are numerous institutions which provide Pre-school Education, Elementary and Highschool . with Technical and Scientific emphasis.Tourism
Its main attractions are the beaches formed by the rivers Paraná and Tebicuary. Villa Florida is a beautiful city which offers pretty landscapes to its visitors.This department is known by the great work of evangelization by the Jesuits priests who founded the place with many reductions. A few towns still have the remains of this time such as the colonial churches.
Part of the historical remains is exposed in the Museums with many samples of wooden carvings made by the Indians at the reductions.