gomezminck · CC BY-SA 3.0Neuland (distrito de Boquerón)
The youngest of the Mennonite colonies: a pioneer museum, preserved native forest and the gateway to Fortín Boquerón.
What it is
Neuland (“new land”) is a tidy town strung along Avenida 1° de Febrero, where you'll find the cooperative, the museum, the church and the hotel. Its History Museum, set up as a typical settler's house with a barn and separate kitchen, captures the pioneers' daily life like few other places. Parque Amistad preserves the scrubland just as the settlers found it, and in the Nivaclé community of Cayin ô Clim, on the outskirts, you can buy palo santo wood carvings and traditional weavings.
What to see and do
- The colony's History Museum (visits arranged through the tourist office)
- Parque Chaco Boreal and its monument to the pioneer women
- Parque Amistad (Freundschaft), a patch of preserved native forest
- Nivaclé crafts at Cayin ô Clim: palo santo carvings and weavings
- Chaco honey from local producers
- Fortín Boquerón, about 28 km away
Did you know…?
A statue in the plaza honors the pioneer women, who made up the majority of the first settlers.
The plaza displays the drilling rig donated by Dutch Mennonites in 1967, which sank more than a thousand water wells in the area.
The museum keeps the large incubators the settlers used to carry eggs on the week-long journey to market in Asunción.
History
It was founded in 1947 by Mennonites fleeing the Soviet Union after World War II; many of the first settlers were women, because so many men had been deported to labor camps. In 1955 the community built its church together. On January 13, 2021 it became a district in its own right, officially named Boquerón, separate from Mariscal Estigarribia.
Tips
- The museum is usually locked: arrange your visit with the Neuland cooperative's tourist office.
- Few shops take cards, so bring cash.
- For the Expo Rodeo Neuland (late April to early May), book accommodation months in advance.
Museum by appointment through the cooperative's tourist office; free admission (check before you go).
Best time: May to September. In late April and early May, the Expo Rodeo Neuland (April 25 to May 3 in 2026) brings rodeo, parades and concerts.
What to try
- German and Paraguayan dishes at the Hotel Boquerón restaurant
- Chaco honey
Activities
Where to stay
Festivals and events here
Nearby
Filadelfia (desvío a Filadelfia) · Boquerón
Centro de Interpretación del Gran Chaco Americano (CIGCHA)
The best introduction to the Chaco: history, wildlife and Indigenous peoples in a bioclimatic building ringed by samu'u trees, with SENATUR tourist information.
Boquerón (Neuland) · Boquerón
Fortín Boquerón
Trenches, cemeteries and a museum where Paraguay's victory in the Chaco War began.
Filadelfia · Boquerón
Filadelfia (Colonia Fernheim)
The Mennonite capital of the Chaco: wide streets, pioneer and cooperative museums, and the best base for exploring the region.
Mariscal Estigarribia (zona Laguna Negra) · Boquerón
Fortín Toledo y Proyecto Taguá
A Chaco War fort that is now a refuge for the taguá, the peccary once thought to be extinct.
Loma Plata · Boquerón
Loma Plata (Colonia Menno)
The oldest Mennonite colony in the Chaco, birthplace of Trébol dairy and of the big livestock fairs.
Colonia Menno (cerca de Loma Plata) · Presidente Hayes
Fortín Isla Po'i (Museo Ruta Chaco Boreal)
The great Paraguayan headquarters of the Chaco War, now an interactive museum and the cemetery of those who fell at Boquerón.
Researched and reviewed in September 2026 with 5 sources. A second reviewer checked dates, coordinates and lodging. Hours and prices may change.