Asunción was founded in 1537 by Spanish soldiers who trekked northward from Spain's tiny military garrison at Buenos Aires. Because the settlement was established on August 15, the day celebrating the Feast of the Assumption of the Virgin, the Spaniards named it Nuestra Señora de la Asunción, meaning “Our Lady of the Assumption.” The Spaniards were warmly received by the Guaraní people. Intermarriage between the Spaniards and the Guaraní formed the mestizo population that quickly came to dominate the city and eventually the entire country of Paraguay.
When Spain abandoned the garrison at Buenos Aires in 1541, Asunción became its most important settlement in southern South America. It was the administrative center of the Río de la Plata region, governed by the Viceroyalty of Peru, until 1617. At that time Asunción was replaced by Buenos Aires, which had been reestablished in 1580. When Paraguay declared its independence from Spain in 1811, Asunción, a city of about 10,000 people, became the national capital.
Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2001
http://encarta.msn.com © 1997-2001 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Asuncion Information info
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