Chipaguasustudios · CC BY-SA 4.0Nuestra Señora de Fátima
Patron-saint festival · Teniente Esteban Martínez
What it is
Huge barbecues for the whole town, rodeo and jineteadas (bronc riding), hugely popular in the Lower Chaco.
Date according to local sources (not May 13, the liturgical feast of Our Lady of Fátima).
The fiesta patronal (patron saint's festival) is the biggest day of the year in every Paraguayan town. It honors the local patron saint or Virgin with a novena (nine days of prayer), a serenade on the eve, a main Mass and a procession with a brass band, firecrackers and flags. Then comes the secular side: a kermesse (village fair) on the plaza, karu guasu (a big communal feast), chipa (cheesy cassava bread) and sopa paraguaya (savory cornbread) at the food stalls, dancing, torín or Paraguayan-style bullfighting (the bull is never killed), jineteadas (rodeo-style bronc riding) and carreras de sortija (a horseback ring-lancing race). As a visitor, arrive early for the procession, be respectful during Mass, try the food cooked by the parish committees and ask for the program at the church: dates often shift to the nearest weekend.
Dates may shift to the nearest weekend.
What to see

Teniente Esteban Martínez · Presidente Hayes
Reserva de Recursos Manejados Tinfunqué
Pilcomayo wetlands and a Ramsar site, ruled by marsh deer and waterbirds.
Researched and reviewed in September 2026 with — sources. A second reviewer checked dates, coordinates and lodging. Hours and prices may change.