Mennonites in Paraguay: the Chaco colonies

• Menno (Loma Plata): the oldest; its pioneers came from Canada and founded the colony on June 25, 1927.
• Fernheim (Filadelfia): founded by about 1,700 refugees from the Soviet Union; Filadelfia was established as the administrative center on August 17, 1931.
• Neuland: founded in 1947 by Mennonites fleeing the Soviet Union after World War II; many early settlers were women, because many men had been deported to labor camps.

During the Chaco War (1932-1935), true to their pacifism, they did not fight, but they sold food to the Paraguayan army.

It has the best services in the Central Chaco. Its museum circuit includes the Jakob Unger (with about 190 of the roughly 250 bird species estimated for the area), the Knelsenhaus, the Casa de la Colonia, the Industrial Museum and the Museum of Intercultural Encounter. The Fernheim tourism office is open Monday to Saturday mornings and Monday to Friday afternoons, and closed on Sundays; museums ask for bookings. Before you arrive, the Gran Chaco Americano Interpretation Center (Wednesday to Sunday, free, verify) is the best introduction to the region.

In Loma Plata, the Museo de la Colonia Menno opens in the mornings on weekdays, and the Trébol dairy plant is visited by appointment. Campo Esperanza, site of the first contact between Mennonites and Indigenous people in 1921, is 28 km away. Every August the Expo Rodeo Trébol (50 years in 2026) fills the hotels.

In Neuland, the museum is set up like a settler's house and visited by appointment; a statue honors the pioneer women and Parque Amistad preserves native forest. Fortín Boquerón is about 28 km away. Few shops accept cards: bring cash.

The Chaco is also home to the Nivaclé, Enlhet, Ayoreo, Yshir and Western Guaraní peoples, and their history intertwines with that of the colonies. In Neuland, the Nivaclé community of Cayin ô Clim sells palo santo carvings and weavings: it is best to buy directly from the makers.

There are Mennonites in the East as well, at Campo 9 (Sommerfeld colony) on the PY02, who arrived from Canada in 1948. The villages are places of work and homes: drive slowly on the dirt roads and ask permission before photographing people or property.

The table blends German and Paraguayan cooking: wurst, sauerkraut, schnitzel, potato salad, cooperative dairy products, Chaparrón craft beer and grilled meats in Filadelfia and Loma Plata.

Go from May to September: in summer the heat tops 40 °C. The Transchaco (PY09) is paved, and daily overnight buses take 7 to 8 hours (verify). Shops close at midday and on Sundays. Book hotels early if you coincide with Expo Rodeo Trébol, Expo Neuland or the Transchaco Rally. September 29, a holiday for the Victory of Boquerón, brings ceremonies at the fort.