Cities · Ñeembucú · The Jesuit Missions and the South

Villa Franca

Villa Franca is a small municipality in Ñeembucú, on the Paraguay River, with 1,138 inhabitants: the second least populated in Paraguay. It is surrounded by large wetlands and lives from farming, cattle ranching and fishing. It was founded in 1775 by governor Fernando de Pinedo as a reduction to defend the coasts of the Paraguay province. An alliance was formed with the Mbokovíes (Mocoví) to fulfil its main goal: protecting the northern strip of Ñeembucú from raids by tribes and by bandeirantes. Later, on 22 June 1824, the town was moved and refounded on the order of José Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia, with the name Villa Franca. It suits those seeking quiet, river and wetland scenery, and the lesser-known colonial history of the south.