Rodney Damián · CC BY-SA 3.0Villa Hayes
The gateway to the Chaco, half an hour from Asunción, named after a president of the United States.
What it is
Facing the Paraguay River, Villa Hayes has an old quarter of stately houses, the imposing church of Nuestra Señora de la Victoria and a riverfront promenade with a lookout and a sandy beach where families spend their weekends. The Salvador Garozzo Municipal Museum holds uniforms, weapons and photos from the Chaco War, old coins and Chaco wildlife, with an old tannin-industry locomotive on the sidewalk outside. On the waterfront, monuments to Rutherford B. Hayes and Benjamín Aceval explain why the town bears an American name.
What to see and do
- The church of Nuestra Señora de la Victoria, the town's patron saint
- The Salvador Garozzo Municipal Museum and its tannin locomotive
- The riverfront and Mirador lookout, with the monuments to Hayes and Benjamín Aceval
- Centro Cultural Melodía, the former seat of the Argentine governorship
- Plaza Héroes del Chaco, once the site of a wartime field hospital
Did you know…?
It has had five names: Reducción Melodía, Amancio Cué, Nueva Burdeos, Villa Occidental and, since 1879, Villa Hayes.
In 1855 about 120 French families (410 settlers) arrived to found Nueva Burdeos; the colony failed the following year.
José Falcón helped gather, from the archives in Asunción, the documents that Benjamín Aceval presented in Washington.
History
It began in 1786 as the Reducción Melodía mission; French settlers arrived in 1855 (Nueva Burdeos, or New Bordeaux), and in 1856 it became Villa Occidental. After the War of the Triple Alliance it was occupied by Argentina. U.S. President Rutherford B. Hayes, who arbitrated the dispute, ruled in Paraguay's favor on November 12, 1878; the town was renamed Villa Hayes on May 13, 1879, and Argentina handed it over the following day.
Tips
- The museum is open Wednesday to Sunday, 9:00-12:00 and 15:00-18:00, with free admission (check before you go).
- You can get here by bus from Asunción (lines 44 and 5, run by the Villa Hayes and La Chaqueña companies).
- Round off the day with the sunset over the Paraguay River from the Mirador.
Salvador Garozzo Museum: Wed-Sun 9:00-12:00 and 15:00-18:00; free admission (check before you go).
Best time: Year-round. On the second Sunday of October, the patron saint festival of Nuestra Señora de la Victoria; on November 12, Hayes Award Commemoration Day (Law 7305/2024), with parades.
What to try
- Chaco-style asado (barbecue)
Activities
Festivals and events here
Nearby
Limpio · Central
Limpio
Karanda'y palm hats, a church with colonial roots and lagoons of giant water lilies beside the Paraguay River.
Del Puente Remanso a la frontera con Bolivia · Presidente Hayes
Ruta Transchaco (PY09)
A road trip of some 780 km through palm groves, marshes and thorny scrub, from the Paraguay River to Bolivia.
Mariano Roque Alonso · Central
Expo Mariano Roque Alonso (predio de la Asociación Rural del Paraguay)
Every July, the country's biggest fair: show cattle, Paraguayan industry, food and entertainment.
Asunción · Asunción (Distrito Capital)
Jardín Botánico y Zoológico de Asunción
The capital's great green lung: woodland, a South American zoo and the country house of Carlos Antonio López.
Emboscada · Cordillera
Emboscada
A town of stone and Afro-Paraguayan heritage, where feathered Guaikurú dancers honor San Francisco Solano every July.
Luque · Central
Museo del Fútbol Sudamericano (Museo CONMEBOL)
The home of South American football: trophies, championship jerseys and interactive exhibits, with free entry.
Researched and reviewed in September 2026 with 7 sources. A second reviewer checked dates, coordinates and lodging. Hours and prices may change.