Quiindy

Quiindy on Ruta 1 makes footballs: panels cut from leather and synthetic material, stitched by hand in household workshops through the town and assembled into balls sold across Paraguay and exported, a trade that began in the mid-twentieth century and became the town's identity, with a monument to the ball on the main road and workshops visible from it. Stitching is done at home, often by women, piece by piece, and the workshops receive visitors who want to see it and buy at source. The town also works leather more broadly. It sits on the main road south and is an easy stop between Asuncion and the Jesuit missions.

What you actually see

• Hand stitching - the panels sewn together in household workshops.
• The roadside shops - the balls sold along Ruta 1.
• The ball monument - the town's emblem on the main road.
• Leather work - the wider trade the town also carries.

When to go

Year round; weekdays are when the workshops are working. It is a roadside stop of a couple of hours on the drive south. The town is otherwise quiet.

Honest expectations

Workshops are homes and visits are informal. The town has no conventional sights beyond the trade. Machine-made balls are sold alongside hand-stitched ones. Facilities are roadside.

Nearby

Paraguari lies northwest; the Jesuit missions are southeast.