General Artigas, el pueblo que cambió su nombre por el del prócer uruguayo

General Artigas is an Itapúa town 360 km from Asunción and 80 km from Encarnación, on Route PY08 and the old railway line. It was founded in 1789 by governor Joaquín de Alós y Brú under the name Cangó y Bobí, for two brothers of indigenous lineage who, according to legend, settled on the streams bordering the village. In 1942 the town took the name of Uruguayan general José Gervasio Artigas, who lived in exile in Paraguay under José Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia until his death in 1850. The change was promoted by the Uruguayan priest Armando di Perna, parish priest of Yuty, and brought a gesture of gratitude from Uruguay: the Uruguayan government funded the municipality building, the church and the Teachers' Normal School, and donated books and musical instruments for the municipal band. The current church of the Virgen del Rosario was built in 1963; its feast is 7 October. The old station of the Carlos Antonio López Railway still stands as a witness to the railway era.

The town was founded in 1789 as Cangó y Bobí. In 1942, thanks to the efforts of Father Armando di Perna, it took the name Artigas, and Uruguay responded with works and donations. The first church stood on four posts with a thatched roof and mud walls on the same spot as today's.