San Miguel

San Miguel on Ruta 1 works wool: sheep are kept in the district, the fleece is spun and dyed locally, and it is woven on frame looms into blankets, ponchos, hammocks, rugs and bags, hung outside the shops that line the highway through the town so that the whole trade is visible from a passing car. The weaving is done by women in household workshops behind the shops and can be watched. Natural and synthetic dyes are both used and the patterns are largely geometric. The town is a fixed stop on the drive between Asuncion and Encarnacion, and prices at source are considerably below Asuncion shops.

What you actually see

• The roadside displays - the blankets and ponchos hung along Ruta 1.
• Frame looms - the weaving worked in the household workshops.
• Spinning and dyeing - the earlier stages of the wool trade.
• Hammocks and rugs - the range of pieces made in the town.

When to go

April to October in the cooler months, which is also when wool goods sell best; weekdays are when the workshops are working. It is a roadside stop of an hour or two.

Honest expectations

The town has no sights beyond the trade. Some goods sold are brought in rather than made locally, so asking matters. Prices are negotiated. Facilities are roadside shops.

Nearby

San Ignacio Guazu lies south; Santa Maria de Fe is southeast.