Asunción Nuestra Señora Santa María de la Asunción
Capital city and district
Skyline of Old town Asunción Palace of the López National Pantheon of the Heroes Skyline of the corporate-residential axis Monument of the Paraguayan harp Héroes del Chaco Bridge
Flag Coat of arms
Nickname(s):  The Mother of Cities, The World's Capital of Friendship.
The Capital District in Paraguay
Asunción Location in Paraguay Show map of Paraguay Asunción Asunción (South America) Show map of South America
Coordinates: 25°18′S 57°38′W / 25.300°S 57.633°W / -25.300; -57.633
Country	Paraguay
District	Capital District
Founded	15 August 1537; 486 years ago (1537-08-15)
Named for	Assumption of Mary
Government
• Intendant	Óscar Rodríguez
Area
• Capital city and district	117 km2 (45.2 sq mi)
• Metro	1,035 km2 (400 sq mi)
Elevation	43 m (141 ft)
Population
• Estimate  (2022)	477,346[1]
• Density	4,079/km2 (10,560/sq mi)
• Metro	2,343,908
Demonym(s)	Asunceno, -a
GDP (PPP, constant 2023 values)
• Year	2023
• Total (Metro)	$64.7 billion[2]
• Per capita	$18,800
Postal code	1001–1925
Area code	+595 (21)
Climate	Cfa
Website	www.asuncion.gov.py (in Spanish)

Asunción (English: /ɑːˌsuːnsiˈoʊn, ˌɑːsuːnˈsjoʊn/,^[3][4][5] Spanish: [asunˈsjon]) 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 northwest separate the city from the Occidental Region of Paraguay and from Argentina in the south part of the city. The rest of the city is surrounded by the Central Department.

Asunción is one of the oldest cities in South America and the longest continually inhabited area in the Río de la Plata Basin; for this reason it is known as "the Mother of Cities". From Asunción, Spanish colonial expeditions departed to found other cities, including the second foundation of Buenos Aires, that of other important cities such as Villarrica, Corrientes, Santa Fe, Córdoba, Santa Cruz de la Sierra and 65 more.^[6][7] According to the 2022 Paraguayan Census, Asunción has 477,346 inhabitants, while its metropolitan area (known as Greater Asunción) exceeds 2.3 million inhabitants, making it the most densely populated area in Paraguay, and also the most productive as it concentrates the 70% of the National GDP.^[8] Asunción is the third most populated "jurisdiction" or "political division" in the country, surpassed by the Central and Alto Paraná departments.

Administratively, the city forms an autonomous capital district, not a part of any department. The metropolitan area, called Gran Asunción, includes the cities of San Lorenzo, Fernando de la Mora, Lambaré, Luque, Mariano Roque Alonso, Ñemby, San Antonio, Limpio, Capiatá and Villa Elisa, which are part of the Central Department. The Asunción metropolitan area has around two million inhabitants. The Asunción Stock Exchange lists the Municipality of Asunción as BVPASA: MUA. Asunción is one of the best cities for investments, both in construction and services, thus being one of the cities in the region with the highest economic growth, nowadays.^[9][10][11]

It is the headquarters of the three state powers (Executive, Legislative and Judicial), the Cultural Center of the Republic and the different agencies and entities of the State. It used to be the main river port of the country, a function that Villeta occupies today. Despite the situations throughout its history, Asunción continues to be the center of national and cultural activities. From the capital, the main state resolutions and projects are issued; and the banking, economic, cultural, diplomatic, social, union and industrial entities of the country are centralized. Most of the main routes to the main cities of the country begin here. It is the headquarters of the Permanent Review Court of Mercosur. In the metropolitan area of Asunción, district of Luque, is the headquarters of the South American Football Confederation.

It is located in a strategic area for Mercosur, in the center-north of the Southern Cone. This geographical position allows it relative proximity to cities such as Buenos Aires, Montevideo, Córdoba, Rosario, Curitiba, São Paulo, Porto Alegre, Santa Cruz de la Sierra, and other important cities in the region. It is located about 1,300 km (810 mi) from the Pacific Ocean and about 1,000 km (620 mi) from the Atlantic Ocean, being relatively equidistant between both oceans, a factor that promotes economic growth and leads it to become a kind of hub in the region.^[12]

The Globalization and World Cities Research Network classifies Asunción as a "Gamma City".^[13] It is the home of the national government, principal port, and the chief industrial, political, economic and cultural center of Paraguay. Near Asunción, in Luque, are the headquarters of the CONMEBOL, the continental governing body of association football in South America. Asunción ranks as one of the cheapest cities in the world for foreign visitors, and the third-safest capital in Latin America, behind Buenos Aires and Santiago, according to InSight Crime.^[14][15]

Etymology

The official name of the city is "Nuestra Señora de la Asunción" (Our Lady of the Assumption), according to the founding document of the Cabildo, dated 16 September 1541.^[16] The fort that preceded it was established with the same name on 15 August 1537, by Juan de Salazar de Espinosa, the day on which the Catholic Church commemorates the Assumption of Mary.

Asunción comes from the Latin noun, of ecclesiastical use, assumptīō, defined as: "the Virgin Mary being elevated body and soul to heaven"^[17] and must be distinguished from the Ascension of Jesus.^[18] Although the dogma was not proclaimed until 1950, the festival dates back to the 9th century and was especially celebrated in Spain and America.^[19]

History

Early history

The Spanish conquistador Juan de Ayolas (died c. 1537) may have first visited the site of the future city on his way north, up the Paraguay River, looking for a passage to the mines of Upper Peru (present-day Bolivia). Later, Juan de Salazar y Espinosa and Gonzalo de Mendoza, a relative of Pedro de Mendoza, were sent in search of Ayolas, but failed to find him. On his way up and then down the river, de Salazar stopped briefly at a bay in the left bank to resupply his ships. He found the natives friendly, and decided to found a fort there in August 1537. He named it Nuestra Señora Santa María de la Asunción (Our Lady Saint Mary of the Assumption – the Roman Catholic Church celebrates the Feast of the Assumption on 15 August).^[20]

In 1542 natives destroyed Buenos Aires, and the Spaniards there fled to Asunción. Thus the city became the center of a large Spanish colonial province comprising part of Brazil, present-day Paraguay and northeastern Argentina: the giant Province of the Indies. In 1603 Asunción was the seat of the First Synod of Asunción, which set guidelines for the evangelization of the natives in their lingua franca, Guaraní.

In 1731 an uprising under José de Antequera y Castro was one of the first rebellions against Spanish colonial rule. The uprising failed, but it was the first sign of the independent spirit that was growing among the criollos, mestizos and natives of Paraguay. The event influenced the independence of Paraguay, which subsequently materialized in 1811. The secret meetings between the independence leaders to plan an ambush against the Spanish Governor in Paraguay (Bernardo de Velasco) took place at the home of Juana María de Lara, in downtown Asunción. On the night of 14 and 15 May 1811, the rebels succeeded and forced governor Velasco to surrender. Today, Lara's former home, known as Casa de la Independencia (House of the Independence), operates as a museum and historical building.

Post-independence period

After Paraguay became independent, significant change occurred in Asunción. Under the rule of Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia (in office 1813–1840) roads were built throughout the city and the streets were named. However, during the presidency of Carlos Antonio López (President 1844–1862) Asunción (and Paraguay) saw further progress as the new president implemented new economic policies. More than 400 schools, metallurgic factories and the first railroad service in South America were built during the López presidency. After López died in 1862, his son Francisco Solano López became the new president and led the country through the disastrous Paraguayan War that lasted for five years (1864–1870). On 1 January 1869, the capital city Asunción fell to Brazilian forces led by Gen. João de Souza da Fonseca Costa. After the end of the armed conflict, Brazilian troops occupied Asunción until 1876.

Many historians^[which?] have claimed that this war provoked a steady downfall of the city and country, since it massacred two-thirds of the country's population. Progress slowed down greatly afterwards, and the economy stagnated.

After the Paraguayan War, Asunción began a slow attempt at recovery. Towards the end of the 19th century and during the early years of the 20th century, a flow of immigrants from Europe and the Ottoman Empire came to the city. This led to a change in the appearance of the city as many new buildings were built and Asunción went through an era more prosperous than any since the war.

A tramway in Asunción opened in 1871, initially using horse-drawn trams and steam-powered trams, with electric trams being introduced in 1913.^[21] The last tram service was discontinued around 1995, followed by formal closure in November 1997.^[21][22]

20th century to the present

Between 1932 and 1935, Paraguay faced a war with Bolivia in the Chaco War and at that time Asunción became a place of relief and help for the wounded in the conflict. The Defensores del Chaco stadium located in the Sajonia neighborhood owes its name precisely to the fact that the army that would go to fight against the Bolivians in defense of the Chaco was recruited in this place.

Asunción has been the first completely urban city in Paraguay since approximately the middle of the 20th century. On the other hand, until the early 1980s, Asunción was the only city in Paraguay with more than 100,000 inhabitants, taking into account that the rural population has always predominated in Paraguay. At the end of the 1980s, the rural exodus began, contributing to the demographic increase —especially urban— of Central Department (part of current Greater Asunción). Consequently, the population of Asunción remained practically stagnant since then.

In March 1991, just two years after the coup d'état against the government of Alfredo Stroessner —which lasted almost 35 years— the Treaty of Asunción was signed with the presidents of Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, and Paraguay. This treaty gave rise to the Southern Common Market (Mercosur), a regional integration organization.

Since 1993, Asunción has become an autonomous municipality administered as a capital district and is not formally integrated into any department. Before 1993, it managed the Central Department —although had not been part of it since 1973—. Later, Areguá —a city with a colonial feel— began to be the capital, and therefore, to administer the department until today.

In May 2000, the Congress building was attacked by tanks in the midst of a failed coup d'état, which led to the president declaring a state of exception at the national level. In August 2004, the city suffered the greatest tragedy in the history of the country, after the Chaco War, with the Tragedy of Ycua Bolaños, a fire that claimed more than 300 lives, with hundreds injured.^[23]

Due to the unbridled growth and lack of urban planning and infrastructure in the capital and its surrounding areas —in recent years—, Asunción is becoming a city with problems similar to the large metropolises of the world (e.g.: intense traffic during rush hours, insufficiency of services, among others). However, at the same time, there are dozens of investments in the city, making it one of the cities with the most economic growth in the region. To improve the transportation situation, several alternatives are planned, such as the metrobus or the electric train, among others. Also the construction of more viaducts and tunnels.^[24]

Likewise, Asunción has been the meeting point of the largest demonstrations in Paraguay, the most recent being the Paraguayan March of 1999 (in which 8 protesters were shot dead, causing the resignation of then-president Cubas), the impeachment of President Lugo in 2012 (which caused the suspension of Paraguay in Mercosur),^[25] or the political crisis of 2017 (protesters set fire to the Congress building),^[26] among others.

Geography

Being at the Argentina–Paraguay border, Asunción is located between the parallels 25° 15' and 25° 20' of south latitude and between the meridians 57° 40' and 57° 30' of west longitude. The city sits on the left bank of the Paraguay River, almost at the confluence of this river with the River Pilcomayo. The Paraguay River and the Bay of Asunción in the northwest separate the city from the Occidental Region of Paraguay and Argentina in the south part of the city. The rest of the city is surrounded by the Central Department.

The Paraguay River is the most important hydrographic body of the city since river commerce develops through it, and it is also a tourist attraction. Asunción Bay is separated from the great Paraguay River by the San Miguel Bank, a narrow lowland peninsula where two geographical and ecological regions of Paraguay converge: the Humid Chaco and the Alto Paraná Atlantic forests. Some important bodies of water are the Pozo Colorado, De Los Patos, Ycuá Satí, and Jaén streams. All of these run hidden under the pavement of Asunción and flow into the river.^[27]

The orography of the city is characterized by being irregular, partly because of "the seven hills" that could be seen from the river upon reaching the city. The old town sits on a hill and preserves the characteristic plan of the towns of the colonial era, while the Church of La Encarnación is actually located at the highest point in the downtown. The highest point in Asunción is the Cerro Lambaré, at 156 meters (512 ft) above sea level, which is surrounded by a small forest mass and usually offers a spectacular show in the springtime because of the blossoming lapacho trees in the area.

The 7 hills of Asunción are:

• Loma Cabará, the founding area of Asunción.
• Loma San Jerónimo, where there was once a hermitage dedicated to said saint.
• Loma Clavel, where the Marine Infantry barracks are currently located.
• Loma Cachinga, where the Hospital de Clínicas is currently located.
• Loma del Mangrullo, where Carlos Antonio López Park is currently located.
• Loma de la Encarnación, where the Church of the Encarnación is currently located.
• Loma de las Piedras de Santa Catalina, where the Escalinata Antequera is currently located.

Another important elevation was Mount Tacumbú, but in the 1950s began its exploitation in order to pave the streets of Asunción. Today only a lagoon remains as a result of the impossibility of suctioning the waters by the rocks that were left there. The quarry stopped working due to the urbanization of the area. Its current height is 91 meters (299 ft).

Biogeography

The biogeographical areas of Asunción are two, the bay area, and the interior area.^[28] The interior area used to be covered with lush forests that made up part of the Humid Chaco, these easily exceeded 40 meters (130 ft) in height. Among the common floral species found are the tree fern or chachi, the pink lapacho (Tabebuia heptaphylla), the yvyra pytä (Peltophorum dubium), the guatambú or yvyra ñeti (Balfourodendron riedelianum), the cedar or ygary (Cedrela fissilis), etc.

Among the large animals that lived in the area that is currently Asunción were the jaguar (Panthera onca), the tapir (Tapirus terrestris), the harpy eagle (Harpia harpyja), the capuchin monkey (Cebus apella), etc. The last remnants of this great ecosystem can be seen in the Botanical Garden and Zoo of Asunción and in the surroundings of Cerro Lambare; in these places can still be find medium and small animals, such as the toco toucan (Ramphastos toco), the gold tegu (Tupinambis teguixin), the opossum (Didelphis albiventris), the Paraguayan magpie (Cyanocorax chrysops), the masakaragua'i or cucucucha (Troglodytes aedon), etc.; while some small birds such as the cardinal (Paroaria coronata), the turtle dove (Zenaida meloda), the chingolo or cachilito (Zonotrichia capensis), the golden goldfinch (Sicalis flaveola), the saijovy or common celestine (Thraupis sayaca), etc. coexist in the densely populated areas of the city with the domestic pigeon, which is an invasive specie that is reproducing at an accelerated rate, causing damage to the facades of buildings and in some cases displacing the local birdlife.^[29]

On the other hand, the bay area has an approximate area of 375 hectares (930 acres) and is located just 2 km (1.2 mi) from the old town. It is one of the most important stopping places during the journey of Nearctic and Southern migratory birds.^[30] Asunción Bay has a wide variety of habitats, yet their availability changes throughout the year giving as a result large seasonal fluctuations in the water level of the Paraguay River, which make the depth and extent of bay flooding vary considerably. During the southern winter, when the water is abundantly high, the bay is largely underwater, but towards the end of the season when the water level drops, sandy and clay beaches (tidal marsh) appear. If the waters continue to recede, most of the marshes dry out and become grasslands, some of which remain wet. A total of 258 bird species have been recorded, including 7 globally endangered species and 28 species that nest in North America and migrate to southern South America. More than 3% of the global population of one of them, the cinnamon sandpiper (Tryngites subruficollis), passes through the bay during its migration to the south, turning Asunción Bay into an Important Bird Area (IBA).^[31]

Climate

Asunción has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen: Cfa) that closely borders on a tropical savanna climate (Köppen: Aw), characterized by hot, humid summers (average of 27.5 °C or 81.5 °F in January), and mild winters (average of 17.6 °C; 63.7 °F in July).^[32] Relative humidity is high throughout the year, so the heat index is higher than the true air temperature in the summer, and in the winter it can feel cooler. The average annual temperature is 23 °C (73 °F). The average annual precipitation is high, with 1,400 millimeters (55 in) distributed in over 80 days yearly. The highest recorded temperature was 42.8 °C (109.0 °F) on 1 October 2020,^[33] while the lowest recorded temperature was −1.2 °C (29.8 °F) on 27 June 2011.^[34] The highest rainfall accumulation within 24 hours was 222 mm (8.74 in) on 26 February 2014.^[35]

Summers are hot and humid, with temperatures that can eventually exceed 40 °C (104 °F), due to ambient humidity. The average temperature in January is 28 °C (82 °F). Hours of sunshine abound, as do isolated showers and short summer storms. In Asunción itself, the heat is even more accentuated than in the surrounding area, due to the urban heat island effect. The warm north wind that blows from Brazil is the predominant one in the season, although sometimes winds from the south bring more pleasant precipitation and temperatures.

Winters are mild and quite irregular because throughout the season there can be cold days —minimums around 0 °C (32 °F)— as well as quite warm days —maximums around 30 °C (86 °F)—. Generally, a typical winter day includes mild afternoons, as well as cool mornings and evenings. The average temperature in winter is 18 °C (64 °F). Ground frost may usually occur throughout the season, especially in the suburban and rural areas of Greater Asunción. The fresh south wind that blows from Argentina is the predominant one in the season, although sometimes winds from the north bring warmer temperatures.

Snow is unknown in modern times, but it fell during the Little Ice Age, the last time being in June 1751.^[36] Precipitation is abundant throughout the year, as storms or showers usually develop quite frequently; except for the winter months, when weak but continuous drizzles are more common. The relative humidity in the environment remains high all year round (averaging 70%).

Asunción generally has a very short dry season between May and September, but the coldest months are June, July and August. During the wet season, Asunción is generally hot and humid though towards the end of this season, it becomes noticeably cooler. In contrast, Asunción's dry season is pleasantly mild. Asunción's annual precipitation values observe a summer maximum, due to severe subtropical summer thunderstorms which travel southward from northern Paraguay, originating in the Gran Chaco region of the northwestern part of the country. The wettest and driest months of the year are April and July, on average receiving respectively 166 and 39 mm (6.54 and 1.54 in) of precipitation.