{{Infobox settlement , settlement_type = City & District , official_name = San Estanislao de Kostka , native_name = , nickname = Santaní , motto = , image_skyline = , imagesize = , image_caption = , image_flag = Flag of Paraguay.svg , image_shield =Coat_of_arms_of_Paraguay.svg , pushpin_map = Paraguay , pushpin_map_caption =Location in Paraguay , coordinates = {{coord, 24, 39, 0, S, 56, 26, 0, W, display=inline,title , subdivision_type =

Country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while ...

, subdivision_name =

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 ...

, subdivision_type1 = Department , subdivision_name1 = San Pedro , leader_title = Intendente Municipal , leader_name = Andrés Rafael Jara Melo , established_title = Founded , established_date =November 13, 1749 by the Jesuit Sebastián Yegros , area_magnitude = , area_total_km2 = 2625 , area_land_km2 = , area_water_km2 = , area_water_percent = , population_as_of = 2008 , population_note = , population_total = 52,983 , population_metro = , population_urban = , population_density_km2 = 20.18 , timezone = -4 Gmt , utc_offset = , timezone_DST = , utc_offset_DST = , elevation_m = 134 , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = 8210 , area_code =(595) (43) , website = San Estanislao de Kostka (usually referred to as San Estanislao or, more commonly, Santaní) is a city and district in the department of San Pedro,

History

San Estanislao was founded on November 13, 1749 by Father Sebastián de Yegros, a Jesuit priest 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 o ...

after Saint Stanislaus Kostka. The town was founded as a Jesuit mission with the goal of converting the surrounding Indian population. The city is named for Stanisław Kostka, a Polish priest who was canonized by

Pope Benedict XIII Pope Benedict XIII ( la, Benedictus XIII; it, Benedetto XIII; 2 February 1649 – 21 February 1730), born Pietro Francesco Orsini and later called Vincenzo Maria Orsini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 29 May ...

on November 13, 1726, 23 years before San Estanislao was founded. Santaní, as the city is commonly referred to locally and throughout Paraguay, is a contraction of the word for saint in Spanish ("san") and the word for Estanislao in

Guaraní Guarani, Guaraní or Guarany may refer to Ethnography * Guaraní people, an indigenous people from South America's interior (Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Bolivia) * Guaraní language, or Paraguayan Guarani, an official language of Paraguay * ...

("taní"). People from Santaní are referred to as "santanianos" in Spanish. In 1869, during the

Paraguayan War The Paraguayan War, also known as the War of the Triple Alliance, was a South American war that lasted from 1864 to 1870. It was fought between Paraguay and the Triple Alliance of Argentina, the Empire of Brazil, and Uruguay. It was the deadlies ...

, San Estanislao was briefly the seat of the national government under Marshall

Francisco Solano López Francisco Solano López Carrillo (24 July 1827 – 1 March 1870) was President of Paraguay from 1862 until his death in 1870. He was the eldest son of Juana Pabla Carrillo and of President Carlos Antonio López, Francisco's predecessor. ...

. Following battles elsewhere in Paraguay, López and several of his regiments passed through the city. López governed from the city from August 23 to 31.

Immigration to San Estanislao

Around 1880, San Estanislao became home to

immigrants Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle as permanent residents or naturalized citizens. Commuters, tourists, a ...

both from other parts of Paraguay and from Europe, especially from Germany and Italy. The influence of the Italian immigrants, in particular, can still be seen today in various buildings in Italian styles and the last names of some of the oldest Santaniana families. Decades later, around 1920, Santaní also received immigrants from

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...

. After arriving at Itacurubí del Rosario, some of the new arrivals made their way to Santaní. Other countries that sent relatively large numbers of immigrants to the city were France, Portugal,

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

and Spain.

Economy

After 1870, during the postwar period, Santaní and the surrounding countryside were sustained mostly through

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people t ...

and

forestry Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests, woodlands, and associated resources for human and environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands. ...

Tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...

was the major crop, and its production and packaging for export were a main contributor of jobs. Today the primary economic activity continues to be agriculture, especially

cotton Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor pe ...

mandioca ''Manihot esculenta'', commonly called cassava (), manioc, or yuca (among numerous regional names), is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America. Although a perennial plant, cassava is extensively cultivated ...

soy The soybean, soy bean, or soya bean (''Glycine max'') is a species of legume native to East Asia, widely grown for its edible bean, which has numerous uses. Traditional unfermented food uses of soybeans include soy milk, from which tofu and ...

and sesame. Beef and milk production, forestry, commerce, and regional services (medical treatment, banking, and construction) also contribute to the city's economy.

Education

San Estanislao is home to schools ranging from primary- to university-level, both public and private. In 1994 a College of Economic Sciences was established in the city as part of the

UNA Una and UNA may refer to: Places * 160 Una, the asteroid "Una", an asteroid named after the Faerie Queene character * Una River (disambiguation), numerous rivers * Una, Himachal Pradesh, a town in India ** Una, Himachal Pradesh Assembly constit ...

. There are more than 10 universities in downtown Santani.

Transportation

Travel time between San Estanislao and

(151 km away) was greatly reduced with the inauguration of Route 3 in May 2004. Buses leave the terminal to Asuncion every half an hour.

Night Life

Santani is a college town, and its many plazas come to life after 9pm when students get out of class. Sidewalk cafes serve pizza and beer from 6pm to midnight, and hamburger stands stay open all night. It is common for people to cruise the strip slowly on their motorcycles, beer in hand and music blasting. There is one karaoke bar called "La Rustica" which turns into a dance club after 12 or 12:30am. The bartender/DJ plays everything from cumbia to reggaeton to Brazilian music and reggae.

References and external links

Maps and weather for San Estanislao
Populated places in the San Pedro Department, Paraguay