Pilar () is the capital city of the

Paraguay Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...

department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

of Ñeembucú, located along the

Paraguay River The Paraguay River (Río Paraguay in Spanish, Rio Paraguai in Portuguese, Ysyry Paraguái in Guarani) is a major river in south-central South America, running through Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay and Argentina. It flows about from its headwaters in ...

in the southwestern part of the country. Located about from

Asunción Asunción (, , , Guarani: Paraguay) is the capital and the largest city of Paraguay. The city stands on the eastern bank of the Paraguay River, almost at the confluence of this river with the Pilcomayo River. The Paraguay River and the Bay of ...

, Pilar serves as an important center of commerce and government for the far southwestern region of the country.

History

Pilar was founded by

Pedro Melo de Portugal Pedro de Melo de Portugal y Vilhena (29 April 1733 in Badajoz – 15 April 1797 in Buenos Aires) was a Spanish soldier and politician, who served as viceroy in the Rio de la Plata. Biography He was a member of the Melo de Portugal family, a ...

on October 12, 1779. The original name of the settlement was ''Villa del Ñeembucú'', named for the nearby Arroyo Ñeembucú that flows into the Paraguay River. Four years later it was renamed ''Villa del Pilar'' by

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

Marcial Antonio Uliambre, for the

Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar :''See Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar (Buenos Aires) for the church in Buenos Aires'' The Cathedral-Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar ( es, Catedral-Basílica de Nuestra Señora del Pilar) is a Roman Catholic church in the city of Zaragoza ...

( es, Catedral-Basílica de Nuestra Señora del Pilar) in his hometown of

Zaragoza Zaragoza, also known in English as Saragossa,''Encyclopædia Britannica'"Zaragoza (conventional Saragossa)" is the capital city of the Zaragoza Province and of the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain. It lies by the Ebro river and its tributari ...

Demographics

Pilar has a total population of 32,810, with 14,298 men and 15,030 women, according to information provided by the General Directorate of Statistics, Polls and Census.

Tourism

The center of the city is home to a large number of historical buildings dating back to the founding of the city. The Basilica of Our Lady of Pilar, whose feast day is celebrated on October 12, is a magnificent church constructed by Italian missionaries to the city. During

Semana Santa Holy Week ( la, Hebdomada Sancta or , ; grc, Ἁγία καὶ Μεγάλη Ἑβδομάς, translit=Hagia kai Megale Hebdomas, lit=Holy and Great Week) is the most sacred week in the liturgical year in Christianity. In Eastern Churches, w ...

the city is the site of a large

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques inclu ...

tournament A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concentr ...

and

competition Competition is a rivalry where two or more parties strive for a common goal which cannot be shared: where one's gain is the other's loss (an example of which is a zero-sum game). Competition can arise between entities such as organisms, indivi ...

that attracts participants and spectators from all over

and Northern

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

. The city's location on the

Rio Paraguay The Paraguay River (Río Paraguay in Spanish, Rio Paraguai in Portuguese, Ysyry Paraguái in Guarani) is a major river in south-central South America, running through Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay and Argentina. It flows about from its headwaters in ...

provides a prime location for boating and fishing. There are walking paths, pavilions, and parks located on the shores of the river. The shores of the calmer Arroyo Ñeembucú provide the city's residents with a

beach A beach is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose particles. The particles composing a beach are typically made from rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological sources, such as mollusc shel ...

to enjoy on hot December days. The Town Council Museum was constructed in 1817, during the government of President

Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia Gaspar is a given and/or surname of French, German, Portuguese, and Spanish origin, cognate to Casper (given name) or Casper (surname). It is a name of biblical origin, per Saint Gaspar, one of the wise men mentioned in the Bible. Notable p ...

. It is excellently preserved. This is the only build of this nature that is still preserved in the country. The museum contains objects of historical importance including photographs, trophies and medals that belonged to the Marshall López, as well as pieces of columns from the old church, weapons, bullets, ammunitions, chains, lances, shields and other historical artifacts. A very popular tourist destination is also the "Fiesta Hawaiana" Party every January 2. In recent years, this party which is held alongside the Neembucu River has reached about 20,000 to 30,000 people coming from all parts of Paraguay, Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil. Pilar is considered as one of the most safe and clean cities in all Paraguay.

Transportation

Pilar is served by

Carlos Miguel Jiménez Airport Carlos Miguel Jiménez Airport is a small airport that serves the city of Pilar, in the Ñeembucú Department of Paraguay. Since 2005, the airport went through a major technological renovation.Argentina–Paraguay border The Argentina–Paraguay border is the line that limits the territories of Argentina and Paraguay. This boundary is solely defined by three major rivers: the Pilcomayo, Paraná and Paraguay, being one of the largest natural borders in the world. ...

, the ferry traffic from the harbor of Pilar connects the city to Puerto Cano, which is close to Resistencia and

Formosa Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is an island country located in East Asia. The main island of Taiwan, formerly known in the Western political circles, press and literature as Formosa, makes up 99% of the land area of the territorie ...

. There is a paved highway, the Route 4, that is 140 km long and starts at San Ignacio. Until quite recently, there was no paved route to Asunción, and the city was nearly isolated during periods of rain. Today, however, there is the

Villeta Villeta is a city of Paraguay in the Central Department, on the banks of Paraguay River. It is an important industrial center and port. Toponymy The city was founded on March 5, 1714, by Juan Gregorio Bazán de Pedraza, with the original name ...

– Alberdi–Pilar

Route Route or routes may refer to: * Route (gridiron football), a path run by a wide receiver * route (command), a program used to configure the routing table * Route, County Antrim, an area in Northern Ireland * ''The Route'', a 2013 Ugandan film * Ro ...

that connects the capital with Pilar, and daily buses use it to go to various other cities. The primary mode of transportation to other cities is by bus from the Central Terminal, which offers routes to

and its suburbs such as

Luque Luque () is a city in Central Department of Paraguay, part of the Gran Asunción metropolitan area. Both 1635 and 1750 have been recorded as dates of its founding. It was temporarily the capital of Paraguay in 1868 during the Paraguayan War be ...

Ñemby Ñemby () is a city in the Central Department of Paraguay. It is part of the Gran Asunción metropolitan area. History Among the historical sites of this city stands the Church of San Lorenzo which was founded by Spanish settlers in 1718 when ...

, and

San Lorenzo San Lorenzo is the Italian and Spanish name for Lawrence of Rome, Saint Lawrence, the 3rd-century Christian martyr, and may refer to: Places Argentina * San Lorenzo, Santa Fe * San Lorenzo Department, Chaco * Monte San Lorenzo, a mountain on t ...

, as well as

Ciudad del Este Ciudad del Este (, Spanish for Eastern City; often shortered as CDE) is the second-largest city in Paraguay and capital of the Alto Paraná Department, situated on the Paraná River. It is located 327 km from Asunción, the capital, and is a ...

, Villarrica, Pedro Juan Caballero, Encarnación, Santa Rita,

Humaitá Humaitá is a town and ''distrito'' on the Paraguay River in southern Paraguay. During the Paraguayan War, it served as the main Paraguayan stronghold from 1866 until its fall in August 1868. During that time, it housed as many as 24,000 troops. ...

, Concepción,

Mariscal Estigarribia Mariscal Estigarribia () is a town in the Boquerón Department, Paraguay. Strategic importance Mariscal Estigarribia is home to Dr. Luis Maria Argaña International Airport (IATA code: ESG), which some media reports claim is a US military ...

and

Villa Hayes Villa Hayes () is a city in Paraguay, and is the capital of Presidente Hayes Department. Name Known as "the City of the Five Names", it was eventually named in honor of Rutherford B. Hayes, 19th President of the United States. Weather The c ...

. Within the city,

motorcycles A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruising, ...

and

mopeds A moped ( ) is a type of small motorcycle, generally having a less stringent licensing requirement than full motorcycles or automobiles. The term used to mean a similar vehicle except with both bicycle pedals and a motorcycle engine. Mopeds typi ...

make up the bulk of traffic, with

bicycles A bicycle, also called a pedal cycle, bike or cycle, is a human-powered or motor-powered assisted, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A is called a cyclist, or bicyclist. Bic ...

also constituting a significant percentage of traffic. In addition, it is quite possible to find people on horseback, in horse-drawn carts, on foot, and in cars or trucks on the same street.

Climate

Situated near the confluence of the Paraguay and Paraná rivers, Pilar is in a region of the country with many small streams, rivers and

wetlands A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The ...

that contribute to a humid climate. The average annual temperature is . Summer temperatures can reach as high as , and it winter it drops to as low as . The rainy months are January, March, April and October; the dryer are May and August. The

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

subtype for this climate is " Cfa" (Humid Subtropical Climate).Climate Summary for Pilar, Paraguay
/ref>

Sister cities

Pilar has a sister city: * Carmelo, Uruguay

Sources

World Gazeteer: Paraguay
– World-Gazetteer.com

References

External links

{{Authority control Populated places established in 1779 Populated places in the Ñeembucú Department