Sitting in the hills about 80km from Asunción is the small town of Piribebuy.
The town was founded in 1640 and has as it center piece on a grassy plaza a fine old church dating from the foundation of the town. Surrounding the plaza there still remain several properties from the colonial era giving an idea of how a Paraguayan town would have looked at the time.
The town also holds an important place in the history as during the 19th century War of the Triple Aliance following the loss of Asunción Mariscal López, the Paraguayan leader retreated across the country and while doing so for a while made Piribebuy the capital of Paraguay whilst his court camped there.
This was bought to a violent end with the arrival of the Brazilian army and the Battle of Piribebuy. The Brazilians had overwelming numbers so the result was never in doubt but such was the fury of the attackers that whilst Mariscal López and his followers escaped to retreat further into the interior the battle in town ended in a massacre with the burning of the hospital and all those inside. Events still remembered to this day in Piribebuy.
Life during colonial times and the War of the Triple Alliance along with the Chaco War are recorded in the town museam.
This days there are no more armies or battles in Piribebuy, replaced instead by tourists. It’s proximity to Asunción and the picturesque surroundings draw visitors from Asunción and beyond every summer.
One of the main draws are the numerous country parks each containing large grassed areas for a relaxing afternoon and either a clean fresh river or a swimming pool for bathing.
In addition being in hilly country the views of tree covered hill stretching out in every direction are more interesting than the flatlands that cover much of Paraguay. Amongst these hills are numerous small waterfalls many of which can be visited .
In the vicinity of Piribebuy there are many holiday homes visited just a few times a year by owners drawn to the beauty of the area.
The town is not just a tourist town and does have it’s own local industries. Two of the largest are a factory turning coconut oil from the numerous nearby trees into soap, cooking oil and the like and the Fortin distillary just outside town. This produces caña, spirits made from sugar cane, also grown locally. It is a large brand producing the strong national spirit. The expensive top of the range bottles have won international awards.
Those are the two things for which Piribebuy is best known across Paraguay, countryside and caña, but there is much more besides that to the town.
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