History, Language & Culture Paraguay

Before the Spanish arrived in Paraguay it was inhabited by farmers called the Guarani. The Spanish arrived in the region in the 16th century and the capital of Paraguay, Asuncion was founded in 1537. Paraguay became independent of Spain in 1811 and Jose Gaspar Rodriguez Francis became the dictator. He was the first of a long line of dictators in Paraguay and he ruled until his death in 1840. He was followed by Carlos Antonio Lopez, who ruled Paraguay until 1862. In 1870 the War of the Triple Alliance began. Paraguay fought Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay. The war lasted until 1870 and it was an unmitigated disaster for Paraguay. Many of its citizens were killed and Paraguay lost much of its territory. In the early 20th century Paraguay suffered from political instability with frequent changes of government. Then in 1932 Paraguay and Bolivia went to The Chaco war and it lasted until 1938. In 1954 Alfredo Stroessner became dictator of Paraguay. He ruled until 1989. After that Paraguay became a democratic country. Today Paraguay is still a poor country but its economy is growing rapidly as well. Spanish is spoken by about 87%, while Guaraní is spoken by more than 90% of the population