Arroyos y Esteros (

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 countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

for ''Streams and Swamps'') is a

district A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municip ...

of the

Cordillera Department Cordillera () is a department in Paraguay. The capital is the city of Caacupé. History During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries this area of the country was going through a serious crisis due to population bellicosity of the Indians f ...

Paraguay Paraguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay, is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the Argentina–Paraguay border, south and southwest, Brazil to the Brazil–Paraguay border, east and northeast, and Boli ...

Etymology

The name,

for ''Streams and Swamps'', describes the surroundings consisting of swamps and streams. It was also named Tobatí Tuyá, which is one of the rivers of this region. Its founder, Governor Pedro de Melo de Portugal called it "Chapel Duarte", but in 1849

Carlos Antonio López Carlos Antonio López Ynsfrán (November 4, 1792 – September 10, 1862) was leader of Paraguay from 1841 to 1862. Under his presidency, he undertook a process of economic and political modernization for Paraguay, and ended the isolationist poli ...

named it "Arroyos y Esteros".

Information

Arroyos y Esteros is a small town, growing economically as well as in population. There are approximately 20,000 people living in the district, but these are found mostly in 13 outlying satellite communities, with only 8,000 inhabitants in the center of town. The topography can best be described in the words of the towns founder,

Father Fidel Maíz A father is the male parent of a child. Besides the paternal bonds of a father to his children, the father may have a parental, legal, and social relationship with the child that carries with it certain rights and obligations. A biological fathe ...

, as having a lot of streams and swamps. Once quite isolated, Arroyos now sits on the International Highway 3, which allows for rapid transit to Asuncion and the possibility of round trip travel in the same day. Historically Arroyos has close ties to the larger and more prosperous Tobati, approx. 23 km to the south. Iglesia de Arroyos y Esteros

The principal economic activity in Arroyos y Esteros is

agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

, especially

sugarcane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fib ...

Pineapple The pineapple (''Ananas comosus'') is a Tropical vegetation, tropical plant with an edible fruit; it is the most economically significant plant in the family Bromeliaceae. The pineapple is indigenous to South America, where it has been culti ...

and

melons A melon is any of various plants of the family Cucurbitaceae with sweet, edible, and fleshy fruit. It can also specifically refer to '' Cucumis melo'', commonly known as the "true melon" or simply "melon". The term "melon" can apply to both the ...

are other important crops.

Sesame Sesame (; ''Sesamum indicum'') is a plant in the genus '' Sesamum'', also called benne. Numerous wild relatives occur in Africa and a smaller number in India. It is widely naturalized in tropical regions around the world and is cultivated for ...

was introduced a few years ago and is slowly making inroads, despite some early crop failures. There are several large ranches in the area with cattle, and some other lesser animals (sheep, goats). The arrival of a sugar factory dedicated to producing organic sugar changed the face of the arroyense economy as many former small molasses factories shut down to deliver the raw material to the more efficient large factory. The town's ''fiesta patronal'' is October 4-

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

, however each company has its own fiesta patronal, also the Foundation Day, March 9, celebration invented by the current mayor to boost tourism in Arroyos y Esteros. Arroyos y Esteros is a city of

, it was founded in 1767 and is 67 km away from the capital city

Asunción Asunción (, ) 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 Asunción in the north ...

Geography

The land is completely surrounded by rivers,

Piribebuy Piribebuy (in Guarani language, Guaraní, ''Pirĩvevúi'') is a List of cities and towns in Paraguay, town and districts of Paraguay, district in the Cordillera Department of Paraguay. It is of spontaneous origin, though some attribute its found ...

and Manduvirá River, which are mouths of many swamps and streams before these important rivers flow into

Paraguay River The Paraguay River (''Ysyry Paraguái'' in Guarani language, Guarani, ''Rio Paraguai'' in Portuguese language, Portuguese, ''Río Paraguay'' in Spanish language, Spanish) is a major river in south-central South America, running through Brazil, Bol ...

. According to a local legend, two images of the Mother Virgen were found, one of those is the one in

Caacupé Caacupé (; Guaraní language, Guarani: Ka'akupe , literally: "Behind the Mount") is a city and district in Paraguay. It is the capital of the Department (subnational entity), department of Cordillera Department, Cordillera. The town was founded i ...

, the faithful capital city of

, and the other one is in

Tobatí Tobatí is a city in Tobatí District in the Cordillera Department, Paraguay. History Tobati was founded in June 1539 by Domingo Martínez de Irala. Opinions vary as to the meaning of the town's name. One is from the Spanish definition of t ...

. Arroyos y Esteros is a very wealthy region in vegetation because of its privileged location.

Weather

The weather is mild and dry. Temperature ranges from 23 to 27 Celsius (73.4-80.6 F) during winter 3 Celsius is the minimum.

Demography

Arroyos y Esteros has 22.723 inhabitants, who 12.052 are men and 10.670 women, according to the census (2002). There are 2.049 people in the urban area and 16.592 in the rural area. Because of not enough job opportunities, young people migrate to search for better life conditions.

History

This city was founded by the Governor Pedro de Melo de Portugal who gave the name “Capilla Duarte”,

named it “Arroyos y Esteros” in 1849. Since there is no exact date on the foundation, it was established Priest Fidel Maiz birth and death as the date the town celebrates its foundation, which is March 9. People who live there say that when the first President,

, went to visit Priest Maíz, said to the priest: "I had to cross rivers, streams and swamps to get here", and that is the reason this city was named Arroyos y Esteros. Entrada a la Plaza en Arroyos y Esteros

Economy

Arroyos y Esteros is best known as the “World's Cradle of Organic Sugar” and famous because it is the main sugar cane producer of Paraguay, honey and rum are other products gotten from the sugar cane. People also grow pineapple, banana and some other crops. The city economy is also based on cattle raising.

Transportation

Route III “Gral. Elizardo Aquino” is the main way to get there. Buses from “Empresa Fidel Maiz”, which pass by Emboscada, connect the city with the capital city of Asuncion. Another way to get to Arroyos y Esteros is going from Caacupe through Tobati.

Tourism

There are various point of interest in and around Arroyos y Esteros: 1. The oldest organic sugar mill in the world, OTISA and its sister company, Legado Organic Craft Distillery 2. Paso Itá

Geography

Some streams nearby are: * Yhaguy * Yhú * Capiatá * Hondo * Tobatiry The rivers that surround the city are: * Manduvirá * Piribebuy Some hills are: * Mainumby * Ypecuá * Olivares * Lomas de Acevedo * Cordillera de los Altos

Important People from Arroyos y Esteros

, was born in Arroyos y Esteros and was a very important character during the

War of the Triple Alliance 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 wa ...

Bibliography and references

* Geografía Ilustrada del Paraguay, Distribuidora Arami SRL; 2007. * Geografía del Paraguay, Primera Edición 1999, Editorial Hispana Paraguay SRL

External links

SENATUR
{{Coord, 25, 04, S, 57, 06, W, display=title, region:PY_type:city_source:GNS-enwiki Districts of Cordillera Department