Paraguay

Paraguay

●3 What’s Your Cultural IQ?

1.True or False? Paraguay is the only landlocked country in South America. ANSWER: False. Paraguay is landlocked, but so is neighboring Bolivia.

2.Which neighboring countries did Paraguay fight in the War of the Triple Alliance?

a.Argentina

b.Brazil

c.Uruguay

d.All of the above

ANSWER: d. Paraguay unwisely fought all three of these countries simultaneously from 1864 to 1870. As a result, Paraguay lost half of its adult men and much of its territory— including its border with Uruguay.

3.Paraguay had the unsavory reputation as a refuge for exiled or fleeing criminals. If you hear German spoken in Paraguay, who is likely to be speaking it?

a.Escaped Nazi war criminals

b.Mennonite farmers

c.German and Austrian tourists

d.None of the above

ANSWER: b. Today there are thousands of peaceful Mennonite farmers in Paraguay. Most of the few Nazi war criminals in Paraguay have died off.

●3 Tips on Doing Business in Paraguay

●Paraguay is the only South American nation with two official languages: Spanish and Guaraní. Guaraní, an indigenous language, is the most commonly spoken tongue spoken outside the capital, Asunción. Most executives speak Spanish, if not English.

●3 Country Background

History

The city of Asunción, which today is the capital of Paraguay, was founded in 1537. For a time, Asunción was the capital city of the Spanish colonial provinces of Paraguay and Río de la Plata (encompassing most of the bottom third of South America). To the disappointment of the Spanish colonizers, Paraguay lacked the gold and silver they sought. Consequently, Paraguay remained undeveloped and attracted relatively few Spaniards. Most of the Spaniards who came married Indian women; the arable land was divided into huge plantations.

Jesuit missionaries, however, did venture into Paraguay. They instituted a major social experiment, establishing a series of self-sufficient missions among the Indians, the famous reducciónes (reductions). This pitted the Jesuits against the Spanish-descended settlers, who wanted cheap Indian labor for their plantations. Unfortunately, the Jesuits were expelled from the continent in the 1700s; the reducciónes failed, and the Indians fled into the jungle or were sold into slavery. (This saga was portrayed in the 1986 film The Mission.)

In 1811, Paraguay became the first nation in South America to gain its independence from Spain. This was accomplished without violence; Spain did not consider remote, agricultural Paraguay worth fighting for.

From 1814 to 1840, Paraguay’s elected “supreme dictator,” Dr. José Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia, cut the nation off from the outside world. Paraguay became totally self-sufficient, and intermarriage with the Indians was encouraged. As a result, Paraguay evolved into a highly nationalistic, ethnically homogeneous state.

At the time of its independence, Paraguay was about a third larger than it is today. Part of its land was lost when it became involved in territorial wars with all of its neighbors. Had Argentina and Brazil been able to agree upon a partition, Paraguay would have ceased to exist. As it was, the wars of 1865 to 1870 and 1932 to 1935 devastated the population. An astonishing 80 percent of the men in Paraguay were slain in the first war alone.

In 1954, General Alfredo Stroessner took control of Paraguay in a coup. His reign lasted until another coup, led by General Andrés Rodríguez Pedotti, ousted him in February 1989. Rodríguez was elected president of Paraguay in May 1989, and he restored some civil and political rights. Despite occasional irregularities—including coup attempts, resignations, and the assassination of a vice president in 1999—Paraguay has maintained an elective

Paraguay

Paraguay

government ever since. However, the threat of another coup will be present as long as economic instability continues.

Type of Government

Technically a constitutional republic, Paraguay has a powerful executive branch and has usually been under the thumb of one strongman after another. However, Paraguay has managed a relatively peaceful transition of power from one elected president to another since 1989. The president is both the chief of state and head of the government.

The government is divided between the executive branch (headed by a president who is elected for a five-year term), an independent judiciary, and a two-house legislature. Voting is mandatory for all citizens between the ages of eighteen and sixty.

For current government data, check with the Embassy of Paraguay at www.paraguayem bassy.com.

Language

Paraguay is unusual in that it has two official languages: Spanish and Guaraní (a language of most of the indigenous Amerindian population). While most writing is done in Spanish, there is some literature in the Guaraní language.

For data on the various languages of Paraguay, see Ethnologue at www.ethnologue.com.

The Paraguayan View

Roman Catholicism is the state religion of Paraguay and is adhered to by about 89 percent of the populace. The state pays all Church salaries and controls all Church appointments. However, religious freedom is guaranteed, and the remainder are primarily members of Mennonite and other Protestant denominations. Protestantism has been gaining in popularity. There is also a small community of Muslim immigrants.

*Know Before You Go

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The police and intelligence services of many major nations take interest in persons who travel to and from Paraguay. The tri-border area—where the borders of Paraguay, Brazil, and Argentina meet—has been known for decades as a haven for counterfeiters and smugglers. Lately, the region’s Muslim community has been named by the U.S. State Department as supporters and financiers of terrorism. Traveling to this area may get your passport flagged by the intelligence services of your home country.

Despite widely publicized political violence, the primary hazard for foreign visitors in Paraguay is automobile accidents. Roads vary in quality.

For visitors traveling outside the cities, the environment can be hazardous, especially the heat of the desertlike Chaco region. Poisonous snakes are common in the Chaco.

Earthquakes do occur on occasion. Hurricanes and tornadoes are uncommon. Malaria remains a hazard in many areas. Paraguay suffered a hoof-and-mouth disease outbreak in 2001, which was of major concern in a beef-exporting

nation. The country was declared free of the disease in 2003.

Value Systems: The Basis for Behavior

Paraguay has the most homogeneous population (95 percent mestizo) in Latin America. The following three sections identify the Value Systems in the predominant culture—their methods of dividing right from wrong, good from evil, and so forth.

Locus of Decision-Making

The male is the decision-maker, but he always keeps the interests of the family or group in mind. An individual’s self-identity is based on his or her family genealogy and position in the social system. Decisions will always favor friends or family over expertise. There has always been a strong leader (usually a dictator) to make the decisions for the nation.

Sources of Anxiety Reduction

Family and kin, not the community, are the center of the social universe. They give stability and security to the individual. Godparents are a very important part of the web of kinship. Paraguayans like to follow strong leaders, and their nationalism gives them a sense of security. Catholicism is an essential component of social life, with its rituals, fiestas, and holidays all providing continuity and stability.

Issues of Equality/Inequality

There is a tradition of authoritarian rule and a concomitant lack of democratic institutions. There is an extreme contrast between the elite (educated, prosperous, and city-based) and the poor. The basic social dichotomy is between small farmers and a narrow stratum of elite families who control all the resources. Machismo is strong.

Paraguay