San Estanislao de Kostka, usually referred to as San Estanislao and colloquially as Santaní, is a city and district in the department of San Pedro,

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 ...

History

San Estanislao was founded on November 13, 1749 by Father Sebastián de Yegros, a

Jesuit The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

priest from

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 ...

after Saint Stanislaus Kostka, a Polish priest who was canonized by

Pope Benedict XIII Pope Benedict XIII (; ; 2 February 1649 – 21 February 1730), born Pietro Francesco (or Pierfrancesco) Orsini and later called Vincenzo Maria Orsini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 29 May 1724 to his death in ...

23 years before. The town was founded as a Jesuit mission with the goal of converting the surrounding native population. ''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 'Stanislaus' in Guaraní (''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 wa ...

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

Francisco Solano López Francisco Solano López Carrillo (24 July 1827 or 1826 – 1 March 1870) was a Paraguay, Paraguayan statesman, Officer (armed forces), military officer and politician who served as President of Paraguay between 1862 and 1870, of which he serve ...

. 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 usual residents or where they do not possess nationality in order to settle as permanent residents. Commuters, tourists, and other short- ...

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, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

. After arriving at

Itacurubí del Rosario Itacurubí del Rosario is a List of cities and towns in Paraguay, town in the San Pedro Department, Paraguay, San Pedro Department (country subdivision), department of Paraguay. Sources World Gazeteer: Paraguay
– World-Gazetteer.com {{ ...

, 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, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

and Spain.

Climate

Caazapá has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

: ''Cfa''), close to a

tropical monsoon climate An area of tropical monsoon climate (occasionally known as a sub-equatorial, tropical wet climate or a tropical monsoon and trade-wind littoral climate) is a tropical climate subtype that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification category ' ...

(

: ''Am'') with hot summers and warm winters.

Economy

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

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 ...

and

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

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 (), first recorded in ancient India, 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 ...

, mandioca,

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. Soy is a staple crop, the world's most grown legume, and an important animal feed. Soy is a key source of f ...

and

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 ...

. 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. 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.

References

{{Reflist

External links

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