Villa Hayes
Encyclopedia
Villa Hayes is a city in 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...

, and is the capital of the department of Presidente Hayes.

Name

Known as “the City of the Five Names”, it was eventually named in honor of Rutherford B. Hayes
Rutherford B. Hayes
Rutherford Birchard Hayes was the 19th President of the United States . As president, he oversaw the end of Reconstruction and the United States' entry into the Second Industrial Revolution...

, 19th President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....

.

Weather

The city temperature in summer reaches 44 °C (111.2 °F) and drops to 0 °C (32 °F) in the winter. The average temperature is 26 °C (78.8 °F).

Geography

Villa Hayes is situated on the north bank of the Paraguay River
Paraguay River
The Paraguay River is a major river in south central South America, running through Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Argentina...

, 31 kilometres (19.3 mi) north 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...

 City.

Demography

At the time of the 2002 census, Villa Hayes had a population of 19,001, (10,071 men and 9,930 women). Of these 2,049 lived in the city and 16,592 in the rural area.

There a number of different ethnicities among the city's inhabitants: Native American, European, menonita and Paraguayan.

The Native Americans living in the city include members of the Nivaclé, Toba Mascoy, Angaiteçé, Guaná, Maká, Chamacoco, and Toba Qom tribes.

Economy

ACEPAR (Aceros del Paraguay), Paraguay's principal steel manufacturer, is based in Villa Hayes, however most of the city's inhabitants work in the cattle trade, and to a lesser extent in agriculture.

Tourism

Villa Hayes has a museum where uniforms, weapons, photographs, and other artefacts from the Chaco War
Chaco War
The Chaco War was fought between Bolivia and Paraguay over control of the northern part of the Gran Chaco region of South America, which was incorrectly thought to be rich in oil. It is also referred to as La Guerra de la Sed in literary circles for being fought in the semi-arid Chaco...

 are displayed. There is also a display of antique coins as well as animals of the region.

During the Chaco War, the Hospital de Sangre (Blood Hospital) stood in what is now the city’s Main Square.

The city’s church and historic buildings are important tourist attractions.

The Festival del Acero (Steel Festival) is celebrated annually and features many artistic and cultural presentations.

There is a monument honoring American President Rutherford Hayes and another one for Benjamín Aceval on the bank of the Paraguay River. These men played promonent roles in resolving Paraguay's borders after the Chaco War.

The Home Office and the Economics Faculty of the National University are located on one of the main streets of the city.

In the nearby countryside are the hills Galván and Confuso, as well as Patiño and the Natural Reserve Trinfunqué Park, which shelters many of the plants and animals typical of this region of Paraguay.

The Melodia Cultural Centre is based in a house built around 1870 for General Bartolomé. It is considered historically significant and is frequently visited by architecture students from all over the country. The Center includes a library, holds information classes and is an important promoter of local culture and education.

History

In its earliest origins, the town was known as Amancio Cué. In 1786 the city became the site of a Jesuit Mission founded by Father Juan Francisco Amancio González y Escobar
Juan Francisco Amancio González y Escobar
Juan Francisco Amancio González y Escobar was a Roman Catholic priest responsible for the spiritual colonization of the Christians in Chaco.-Childhood and Youth:...

 with the name Reducción Melodía (Melody Mission) in honor of the Governor Pedro Melo.

The town was re-established during the 1841-1862 government of Carlos Antonio López and renamed Nueva Burdeos (New Bordeaux) by a colony of 120 French families. However, it did not prosper and was founded again the next year as Villa Occidental (Western Town). When Argentine soldiers occupied the city during the 1864-1870 Guerra de la Triple Alianza (War of 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...

), they called it Villa Argentina.

Finally, the city was named Villa Hayes, in accordance with the decree signed by President Cándido Bareiro
Cándido Bareiro
Cándido Pastor Bareiro Caballero was President of Paraguay from 27 November 1878 to 4 September 1880.Bareiro served as a commercial agent for the Paraguayan government in Europe. After returning to Paraguay in 1869 he entered politics...

, on May 13, 1879. This name was chosen to honor of the United States President, Rutherford Hayes, who on November 13, 1878, had been asked to arbitrate between Paraguay and 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...

 after the War of 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...

. His award of the disputed Gran Chaco
Gran Chaco
The Gran Chaco is a sparsely populated, hot and semi-arid lowland region of the Río de la Plata basin, divided among eastern Bolivia, Paraguay, northern Argentina and a portion of the Brazilian states of Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul, where it is connected with the Pantanal region...

 region to Paraguay made him a national hero.

Transportation

The main access to the city is via the Road IX Carlos Antonio López or Transchaco Road. The principal public transport
Transportation in Paraguay
Paraguay’s transportation system ranges from adequate to poor, largely depending on the region of the country. The country has a network of roads, railroads, rivers, and airports, but significant infrastructure and regulation improvements are needed.-Roads:...

 is by bus routes 46 and 5.

Nicolás Bó Aerodrome (Sargento De Aviacion Nicolo Bo, ICAO:SGNB) is located near Villa Hayes, although it is used for training flights and does not have a paved runway or regular passenger service. Passenger airlines operate from Silvio Pettirossi International Airport
Silvio Pettirossi International Airport
-Incidents and accidents:*3 December 1945: an USAAF Douglas C-47B-5-DK registration 43-48602 flying from Asunción to Montevideo crashed 16km SE of Carlos Pellegrini, Argentina...

, approximately 22km southwest of Villa Hayes.

External links

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