Asunción

Asunción, Paraguay

The cream cathedral façade and bell tower of Asunción's Metropolitan Cathedral glow in low sunlight across the plaza at golden hour, framed by a hedge in the foreground.

Asunción is a slow, shaded river capital where colonial streets, Guaraní-flavoured food and tereré circles make for a relaxed few days.

The place

Asunción sits on the eastern bank of the Paraguay River, about 43 metres above sea level, just upstream of the point where the Pilcomayo joins it. It is the capital of Paraguay and home to about 460,000 people, though the suburbs spilling into the surrounding Central Department make the wider metropolitan area far bigger than the city proper. The capital is its own district rather than part of any department. Across the water to the northwest lies the thinly settled Occidental Region, and to the southwest lies Argentina, so the river is a border as well as a view. The centre is compact enough to cover on foot. The cathedral, the Plaza de la Independencia, the Palacio de López, the Panteón and a string of small museums stand within a few streets of one another, with the riverside avenue, the costanera, just beyond. Past that core the city opens out into leafy residential districts, shopping malls and busy avenues where buses and motorbikes compete for space. Asunción is not a city of grand set pieces. Its appeal is slower: shaded plazas, old cafés, a river that creeps over low ground when it rises, and a social life organised around tereré, the iced herbal infusion carried everywhere in a thermos. Guaraní is spoken alongside Spanish, and the mix shows up in street names, jokes and menus. Visitors should expect heat for much of the year, uneven pavements and a quieter pace outside working hours. It suits a short stop of two or three days, either on its own or before heading on to the Argentine and Brazilian borders.

Its story

Asunción began as a riverside fort in August 1537, when the Spanish officer Juan de Salazar y Espinosa put in at a bay on the Paraguay River while hunting for a missing colleague. That colleague, Juan de Ayolas, had gone upriver hoping to find a route towards the silver of Upper Peru, and he never came back. Salazar found the local Guaraní welcoming, built a stockade, and named it after the Catholic feast of the Assumption, celebrated in mid-August. The settlement soon outgrew its purpose. Alliances between Spanish newcomers and Guaraní leaders, sealed partly by the handing over of women under the cuñadazgo custom and later by violent raids, produced a mixed society that made Asunción the main population and trading centre of the colony. A priest writing in 1545 sneered that it was a 'paradise of Muhammad', a jibe at the settlers' loose habits that stuck to the city as a nickname. From here, expeditions set out to found or refound towns across the region, among them Buenos Aires for the second time, Santa Fe, Corrientes, Córdoba and Santa Cruz de la Sierra. That record earned Asunción the title 'Mother of Cities'. Centuries later, in 1811, conspirators met in a house in the old centre to plan Paraguay's break from Spanish rule, and the building survives as a museum. The story is not a tidy one. The colonial relationship with the Guaraní involved coercion as well as cooperation, and the blend of Spanish and Guaraní heritage is its lasting result.

What to see

Culture

Asunción carries its culture lightly. Colonial-era buildings in styles from Baroque to neo-Gothic mix with museums, parks and a lively performing arts scene that includes symphony orchestras such as the City of Asunción Symphony Orchestra and the National Symphony Orchestra, municipal and national ballet companies, an opera company and long-running theatre groups. Spanish and Guaraní share daily life, and many residents switch between them mid-conversation, so a few Guaraní words are received with real warmth. Music matters here: the Paraguayan harp and the guarania and polka rhythms turn up at festivals, family parties and small venues, and a night out often includes someone with a guitar. Social life revolves around tereré, cold herbal tea sipped from a shared cup through a metal straw, with one person pouring and passing it round in turn. It is the main way friends, colleagues and neighbours spend time together, and it is frequently what people mean by an invitation to sit down for a while. Football also shapes the city's loyalties, and the colours of the big local clubs are worn with pride. The pace is unhurried, appointments are loose, and politeness and greetings count for more than efficiency. Visitors should lower their voices in the cathedral and the Panteón, and ask before photographing people, especially guards on duty, and when a tereré cup is passed to them, drink it through and hand it back with thanks.

What to wear

In Asunción, traditional dress is something seen at festivals, folk dance shows and school celebrations rather than on the street. The best known textile is ñandutí, a fine, spider-web lace embroidered in white or bright threads, made in towns nearby and used on blouses, tablecloths and fans. Alongside it is ao po'i, a light cotton cloth, often white and embroidered, from which women's blouses and dresses and men's loose festival shirts are made. Ao po'i means 'fine cloth' in Guaraní, and its lightness suits the climate. Everyday clothing is much plainer. People wear cotton and linen, jeans, sandals and trainers, and the shirts of local football clubs are common, particularly on match days. Office and government workers dress more formally than the heat might suggest, with tailored trousers and closed shoes. Visitors should pack light, breathable fabrics in loose cuts, a sun hat and sunglasses, and a thin rain layer, because storms can arrive quickly and be heavy. Comfortable closed shoes are wise, since pavements are uneven and can be broken, and puddles gather after rain. Churches and the Panteón call for covered shoulders and knees, so a light scarf or overshirt is handy. Evenings are usually casual, but smart casual is the safer choice for restaurants and theatres.

What to eat

Plan it

Best time. April–May and September–October bring milder, more comfortable days. December–February is hot, humid and prone to heavy storms, while June–August can feel cool in the evenings.

How long. 2–3

Getting there. Fly into Silvio Pettirossi International Airport, which has links to cities such as Madrid, Buenos Aires, São Paulo, Santiago, Lima, Bogotá and Panama City. Taxis run to the centre at a fixed rate, so agree it before you leave. A city bus stops on the road outside the terminal, but the stop is poorly signed. Long-distance buses link the city with neighbouring countries.

Budget. low

Tips

Etiquette

Nearby

Sources