Caazapa

Caazapá was founded as a Franciscan reduction in 1607, and the church of the town keeps carved wooden work from the mission period along with the layout of the original plaza. Its best-known feature is the Ykua Bolaños, a spring on the edge of the town enclosed in stonework, which local legend attributes to Friar Luis Bolaños, said to have struck the ground to bring water during a drought; the spring runs continuously and is a place of local devotion. The town holds one of the more elaborate Holy Week observances in the country. The department around is farming country with the Tapyta private reserve protecting a block of Atlantic Forest to the south.

History

Friar Luis de Bolaños founded Caazapá in 1607 as a Franciscan mission, and the original chapel built by the Franciscans stands in the Barrio San Roque. The name, Caaçapá in Classical Guarani, means "the place after the forest", from the belief that beyond the forest God, through Bolaños, had made water spring out (Wikipedia, Caazapá).

What's there

• The Franciscan church - the mission-period carving and the plaza.
• Ykua Bolanos - the enclosed spring and its legend.
• Holy Week observances - the town's Easter processions.
• The Tapyta reserve - the Atlantic Forest block to the south.

When to go

April to October in the cooler dry season; Holy Week is when the town's observances take place and it is at its busiest. The church keeps daytime hours with a midday closure.

Practical notes

The town is small and half a day covers it. The church may be closed outside service times. The spring is a modest enclosed pool rather than a spectacle. Facilities are limited.

Nearby

Villarrica lies north; the Tapyta reserve is south.

Key facts