Humaitá is a town and '' distrito'' on 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 southern

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 ...

. 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 deadliest ...

, 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. Up until March 1868, it was the de facto home of the Paraguayan government. Being at 275 km south of

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 ...

, this is a Paraguayan city that has a great historical and cultural heritage with portions of the old

fortification A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

s, including some large

earthworks Earthworks may refer to: Construction *Earthworks (archaeology), human-made constructions that modify the land contour *Earthworks (engineering), civil engineering works created by moving or processing quantities of soil *Earthworks (military), mi ...

, still visible. It also possesses the remains of a Jesuit church dating from the 18th century.

Toponymy

Humaitá comes from the

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 * ...

words “yma” (meaning ancient) and “itá” (meaning stone).

Geography

The predominant geography in the zone is of a sheet of low areas, of whitish land, without prominent waviness. Due to the proximity of the

, the increase of the waves overwhelms the whole bordering zone, therefore the geopolitical importance that the city had in the past.

Climate

The climate is subtropical, with temperatures reaching -2 °C in winter and 40 °C in the summer.

History

The remains of the old

fortress of Humaitá The Fortress of Humaitá (1854–68), known metaphorically as the Gibraltar of South America, was a Paraguayan military installation near the mouth of the River Paraguay. A strategic site without equal in the region, "a fortress the likes ...

are located on the left side of the Paraguay River, approximately 430 km to the south of Asunción. During the

(1864–1870) this fortress was important because it controlled river access to the capital,

. The defenses of Humaitá were begun by

Carlos Antonio López Carlos Antonio López Ynsfrán (November 4, 1792 – September 10, 1862) served as leader of Paraguay from 1841 to 1862. Early life López was born at Manorá (Asunción) on November 4, 1792, as one of eight children. He graduated from Real Co ...

(1790–1862). Built both on water and on land, they dominate a bend in the river. They include two walls with heavily armed bunkers, barracks for troops and officials, ammunition stores, offices, a church, and cemeteries, protected by kilometers of trenches. Mines and chains were used to restrict navigation of the river.

Economy

The inhabitants fish, raise cattle, and practice

small-scale agriculture A smallholding or smallholder is a small farm operating under a small-scale agriculture model. Definitions vary widely for what constitutes a smallholder or small-scale farm, including factors such as size, food production technique or technology ...

. Local crafts include vases, gauntlets, pictures in burlap, and articles made from vegetable sponge. Carpets, tapestries, tablecloths, and crocheted apparel are also produced.

Transportation

Humaitá may be reached via

Route 1 The following highways are numbered 1. For roads numbered A1, see list of A1 roads. For roads numbered B1, see list of B1 roads. For roads numbered M1, see List of M1 roads. For roads numbered N1, see list of N1 roads. For roads numbered ...

from

, after reaching

San Ignacio San Ignacio (the Spanish language name of St. Ignatius (disambiguation), St. Ignatius) is a common toponym in parts of the world where that language is or was spoken: Argentina * San Ignacio, Argentina, Misiones Province * San Ignacio Miní, a ...

, take the detour to Pilar. Humaitá also may be reached through the new

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 o ...

– Alberdi– Pilar Route One may also take the bus from Asunción to Pilar and transfer to an interurban bus that serves Humaitá.

Patrimony

The city has a rich historical patrimony. Humaitá was more involved than any other city in the

. The Paraguayan army used this city to contain the invasion by the Alliance. By the end of the war the city had been totally wrecked by the invading troops. The ''Cuartel de López'', a museum in

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. ...

's former barracks, has three rooms where bullets, cannon, stirrups, spurs, swords, and other battlefield relics are displayed.

Tourism

Many tourists visit Humaitá. Students from all over Paraguay come to view the vestiges of the

, as do Uruguayan, Brazilian, Paraguayan and Argentine military men and civilians from throughout America and Europe. Humaita 02

* Ruins of Humaitá. Only a few vestiges survived bombardment by enemy cannons during the war. One of these was San Carlos Borromeo's church. Carlos Antonio López ordered its construction. It was inaugurated on January 1, 1861. At the time, it was considered one of the most beautiful in the Americas. * Itapunta * Curupayty * Estero Bellaco Hotels in the city include the Municipal Hotel, with Italianate architecture, constructed at the end of the 19th century. Many historians believe that

Stroessner Alfredo Stroessner Matiauda (; 3 November 1912 – 16 August 2006) was a Paraguayan army officer and politician who served as President of Paraguay from 15 August 1954 to 3 February 1989. Stroessner led a coup d'état on 4 May 1954 with ...

stayed there during the 1947 revolution.

Restaurants

A restaurant called The Terrace is located in the middle of the town square.

Fishing

Due to its location on the

, Humaitá is also a popular place to fish. Fish such as Mandi'i, catfish, piranha, armado, duck,

dorado Dorado () is a constellation in the southern sky. It was named in the late 16th century and is now one of the 88 modern constellations. Its name refers to the dolphinfish (''Coryphaena hippurus''), which is known as ''dorado'' in Spanish, alt ...

, surubí, and pacú provide the main income of fishermen. Milanese surubí is a popular dish in local restaurants.

Gallery

File:IGLESIA DE HUMAITA - panoramio.jpg, A local church in Humaitá File:Humaita ruins square.jpg, Humaitá, Paraguay File:RUINAS_-_panoramio.jpg, Humaitá, Paraguay File:Riverside_promenade_Humaita.jpg, Humaitá, Paraguay

Twin towns

Humaitá is

twinned Twinning (making a twin of) may refer to: * In biology and agriculture, producing two offspring (i.e., twins) at a time, or having a tendency to do so; * Twin towns and sister cities, towns and cities involved in town twinning * Twinning inst ...

with: *

Malbrán Malbrán is a municipality and village in Santiago del Estero in Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an are ...

, Argentina

References

Sources

World Gazeteer: Paraguay
– World-Gazetteer.com
Revista Zeta
{{DEFAULTSORT:Humaita Populated places in the Ñeembucú Department Populated places established in 1778 pt:Fortaleza de Humaitá