| Group: | Paraguayan Argentines |
| Native Name: | |
| Population: | 916,136 (by birth, 2023)[1] 2,000,000 (by ancestry) |
| Popplace: | Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires Province, Misiones, Corrientes, Formosa, Santa Fe, Córdoba and Chaco |
| Langs: | SpanishGuarani |
| Rels: | Roman Catholicism |
| Related: | ParaguayansParaguayan Americans |
Paraguayan Argentines (Guarani: Paraguaiguakuéra Arahentínape, Spanish; Castilian: Paraguayo-argentinos) are Argentine citizens of full or partial Paraguayan descent or Paraguay-born people who reside in Argentina. Paraguayan people comprise an important ethnic group in the country due to the sustained immigration that gained importance in the 1970s. The number of people born in Paraguay living in Argentina has been estimated to be about 550,000.[2] [3] Therefore, it is the largest foreign community in the country outnumbering individuals from Italy and Spain (countries which have been historically regarded as the origin of the backbone of Argentine society). It is also one of the fastest growing foreign nationalities. Despite all this, its numbers have been undercounted so it is believed that the real amount is even much higher.
The North-Eastern provinces of Argentina were originally inhabited by Guarani tribes conforming with what is now Paraguay and several regions of Brazil the area of influence of Guarani culture. This influence can be seen nowadays in many common cultural features. However, the earliest presence of Paraguayans as an ethnic group can be traced back much later, to the second foundation (and the real permanent settlement) of the city of Buenos Aires by Juan de Garay who sailed down Parana River from Asuncion accompanied by local Mestizo and Guarani families. In addition, there have always been certain connections between the two countries during later periods of the Spanish rule, especially when the Viceroyalty of the Rio de la Plata was created in 1776 which included several Intendencias, among them the Intendencia of Paraguay and Intendencia of Buenos Aires.
There has been Paraguayan presence in Argentine soil during and after the Paraguayan War and after the Revolution of 1947[4] in Paraguay but it did not acquire importance before 1970. For many economic reasons (Paraguay being an impoverished country) and political reasons (Stroessner dictatorship), Paraguayans started to settle in larger amounts throughout the wealthier neighbouring territory. Another fact was the porosity of Argentine borders and that the population density has always been disproportionally higher in the Eastern region (Argentine-Brazilian border) rather than the Western region or Chaco (Bolivian border).
Very different from other immigrant communities in Argentina (European and Middle-Eastern), Paraguayan entrance has been large (with insignificant return rate) and constant even to these days which makes up to 40 years of sustained immigration that does not seem to stop or decline in the future.
According to the, the distribution of Paraguayan-born residents in Argentina is not evenly spread throughout Argentina's territory: Buenos Aires and the Buenos Aires Province are the top destinations for Paraguayans. In addition, due to geographical proximity facilitating movement and cultural exchange, 40% of the Paraguayan-born community is settled in provinces of the Northeastern region of Argentina, namely Misiones, Corrientes, Formosa, Santa Fe, Córdoba and Chaco, which are near the Argentina–Paraguay border. The 10% left is spread throughout the rest of the provinces.[5]
| Province | Paraguayan-born people | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| % | ||||||
| align=center | 1 | Buenos Aires Province | align=right | 392,697 | align=right | 71.31 % |
| align=center | 2 | City of Buenos Aires | align=right | 80,325 | align=right | 15.00 % |
| align=center | 3 | Misiones | align=right | 26,799 | align=right | 4.87 % |
| align=center | 4 | Formosa | align=right | 20,280 | align=right | 3.68 % |
| align=center | 5 | Santa Fe | align=right | 8,154 | align=right | 1.48 % |
| align=center | 6 | Chaco | align=right | 4,089 | align=right | 0.74 % |
| align=center | 7 | Córdoba | align=right | 4,064 | align=right | 0.73 % |
| align=center | 8 | Corrientes | align=right | 3,397 | align=right | 0.62 % |
| align=center | 9 | Chubut | align=right | 1,911 | align=right | 0.35 % |
| align=center | 10 | Entre Ríos | align=right | 1,420 | align=right | 0.26 % |
| align=center | 11 | Santa Cruz | align=right | 1,368 | align=right | 0.25 % |
| align=center | 12 | align=right | 1,123 | align=right | 0.20 % | |
| align=center | 13 | Neuquén | align=right | 1,122 | align=right | 0.20 % |
| align=center | 14 | Salta | align=right | 651 | align=right | 0.12 % |
| align=center | 15 | Mendoza | align=right | 587 | align=right | 0.11 % |
| align=center | 16 | Tierra del Fuego | align=right | 532 | align=right | 0.10 % |
| align=center | 17 | Tucumán | align=right | 439 | align=right | 0.08 % |
| align=center | 18 | La Pampa | align=right | 406 | align=right | 0.07 % |
| align=center | 19 | San Luis | align=right | 397 | align=right | 0.07 % |
| align=center | 20 | Santiago del Estero | align=right | 316 | align=right | 0.05 % |
| align=center | 21 | Jujuy | align=right | 311 | align=right | 0.05 % |
| align=center | 22 | Catamarca | align=right | 123 | align=right | 0.02 % |
| align=center | 23 | La Rioja | align=right | 114 | align=right | 0.02 % |
| align=center | 24 | San Juan | align=right | 88 | align=right | 0.01 % |
| Total |  Argentina | 550,713 | 100% | |||
| Paraguayans in Argentina according to INDEC and RENAPER | |
|---|---|
ImageSize = width:750 height:400PlotArea = left: 60 bottom: 30 top: 20 right: 20DateFormat = x.yPeriod = from:0 till:1000000TimeAxis = orientation:verticalAlignBars = lateScaleMajor = gridcolor:darkgrey increment:50000 start:000ScaleMinor = gridcolor:lightgrey increment:50000 start:000BackgroundColors = canvas:sfondo BarData= bar: 1869 text: 1869 bar: 1895 text: 1895 bar: 1914 text: 1914 bar: 1947 text: 1947 bar: 1960 text: 1960 bar: 1970 text: 1970 bar: 1980 text: 1980 bar: 1991 text: 1991 bar: 2001 text: 2001 bar: 2010 text: 2010 bar: 2023 text: 2023 PlotData= color:barra width:40 align:center bar: 1869 from:3288 till: 0 bar: 1895 from:14562 till: 0 bar: 1914 from:28592 till: 0 bar: 1947 from:93248 till: 0 bar: 1960 from:155269 till: 0 bar: 1970 from:212200 till: 0 bar: 1980 from:262799 till: 0 bar: 1991 from:250450 till: 0 bar: 2001 from:322962 till: 0 bar: 2010 from:550713 till: 0 bar: 2023 from:916136 till: 0 PlotData= bar: 1869 at: 3288 fontsize:S text: 3,288 shift:(0,4) bar: 1895 at: 14562 fontsize:S text: 14,562 shift:(0,4) bar: 1914 at: 28592 fontsize:S text: 28,592 shift:(0,4) bar: 1947 at: 93248 fontsize:S text: 93,248 shift:(0,4) bar: 1960 at: 155269 fontsize:S text: 155,269 shift:(0,2) bar: 1970 at: 212200 fontsize:S text: 212,200 shift:(0,2) bar: 1980 at: 262799 fontsize:S text: 262,799 shift:(0,4) bar: 1991 at: 250450 fontsize:S text: 250,450 shift:(0,5) bar: 2001 at: 322962 fontsize:S text: 322,962 shift:(0,4) bar: 2010 at: 550713 fontsize:S text: 550,713 shift:(0,5) bar: 2023 at: 916136 fontsize:S text: 916,136 shift:(0,2) | |
| Source: The National Institute of Statistics and Censuses (INDEC)[6] and the National Register of persons (RENAPER)[7] | |
| Graphic prepared by: Wikipedia |
Some cultural elements shared by Argentina and Paraguay include the consumption of Yerba Mate (Ilex paraguayensis) in the form of mate, a traditional infused drink with hot water claimed by Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay as the national drink, as well as Tereré, a traditional infused drink with cold water and Mate cocido, a traditional infused drink with hot water, both originally from Paraguay; Chamame, folk music genre with its origins in Guarani Jesuit Missions mixed with European styles, and the use of the Guaraní Language, which is the official language of Paraguay and second official language of the Argentine Corrientes Province since 24 September 2004.
ItuzaingóCuruzú CuatiáCaá CatíCerro CoráMburucuyá ("Passion flower" the National flower of Paraguay)MocoretáTabay ("small town")TapebicuaTatacuá ("the hole of the fire")TaraguiYahapéYataytí CalleYapeyúItatíItá Ibaté ("tall stone")GuaviravíVaca Cuá Ita CoráAguay
Oberá ("shiny")Caa YaríCapiobíCaraguatayGaruhapéGaruhapé-MiGarupáGuaraníItacaruaréMbopicuá ("hole of the bat")Panambí ("butterfly")PindapoyPiray Kilómetro 18Puerto Iguazú (Iguazú meaning "large water")Puerto Piray (Piray meaning "small fish")TarumáTacuaruzúCuña-Pirú
Samuhú ("Chorisia" a kind of subtropical tree)Colonia TacuaríEl Paranacito
AguarayYariguarendaYacuyEl AguayAcambucoItanguaTobantirendaCapiazuti
Tacuarendí ("sugarcane fields") El ArazáCaraguatayAguará GrandeÑanducita ("small spider")Tacural ("anthills")Vera ("shiny")Carcarañá ("mean caracara")
AñatuyaCaburéUrutaú
TukumãTapia ("wall")El Timbo
Pirané ("smelly fish")IbarretaYataiTatané
GualeguayParanáMandisovíVillaguayUbajayGualeguaychúChajaríÑancayIbicuy
Pehuajó, Reta "retã" ("country or nation"), Mar de Ajó, Mar del Tuyú, San Bernardo del Tuyú, Ituzaingó ("waterfall")
ParanáParaguay ("colorful water")Uruguay ("water of the birds")CarapariGualeguayGualeguaychúGuayquiraróRivers of the Paraná Delta Ibicuy