Mbocayaty
Church in Mbocayaty
Mbocayaty
Coordinates: 25°43′12″S 56°25′12″W / 25.72000°S 56.42000°W / -25.72000; -56.42000
Country	Paraguay
Department	Guairá Department
Founded by	Jose Mariano Duarte
Population  (2022)
• Total	8,003 [1]

Mbocayaty (Guaraní: Mbokajaty) is a town in the Guairá Department of Paraguay. Its located 7 km to the north of Villarrica and 166 km to the east of Asuncion.^[2]

Originally known as Capilla Duarte (Spanish Duarte Chapel) due to the Catholic chapel built in the 1800s by a family named Duarte. Its current name comes from the Guarani language expression Mbokaja + ty which means ¨land with many macaw palms"^[3]

It was founded due to a land donation by a Catholic priest named Jose Mariano Duarte. Jose Mariano, the first priest and possibly the first school teacher in the area, had inherited the lands from his father, General Carlos Duarte. The Duarte family was from Villarrica.^[3][4]

In 1903, it was upgraded to municipality disengaged from Villarrica. The first president of its gubernatorial board was Juan de la Cruz Talavera.^[3]

During the Paraguayan War it was registered that many female residents of what is now Mbocayaty donated their jewelry to the help with the war efforts and that several local families donated part of their livestock to feed the soldiers.^[5] Since the XX century, the original territory of Mbocayaty started to be divided to lay the foundations of new towns like Natalicio in 1931, Independencia in 1955 and Bottrell in 1983.^[3]

Its irrigated by the Tebicuarymi River and its tributary streams such as Ita, Yaguarete and Gervasia. It borders Bottrell to the North, separated by the Tebicuarymi River. Villarrica to the South, through a stream named Bobo; the towns of Natalicio and Independencia to the east and the town of Yataity to the west.

Starting in the 20th century, the original territory of Mbocayaty began to be dismembered to create new municipalities such as Natalicio in 1931, Independencia in 1955 and Bottrell in 1983.

It extends in the vicinity of the Ybytyruzú Mountain Range, where there are highlands and ravines, forested areas and steep slopes. It has tall, continuous forests that are habitat for important species of the country's flora and fauna, although rural activity has had a great impact on the environment. It has 151 km² of territorial area.

It is irrigated by the Tebicuarymí River and its tributary streams such as the Itá, Yaguareté and Gervasia streams. It limits to the north with Botrell, separated by the Tebicuarymí River; to the south with Villarrica, through the Bobo stream; to the east with Natalicio and Independencia, separated from both municipalities by the Borja stream and to the west with Yataity.

The average annual temperature is 22 °C; Its maximum in summer rises to 38-39 °C and in winter it usually reaches 0 °C. It rains abundantly in the months of October and November. In the months of July and August, the least amount of rain is recorded; The other months maintain an average of 138 mm of rainfall, normally reaching an annual average of 1,600 mm.

The companies that surround the urban area are: Pirity, Costa Mbocayaty, Capitán Samudio, Jorge Naville, Naranjo, Tacuarita, Manuel Gondra, Santa Bárbara, Carandayty and Loma Barreto.

Its inhabitants are dedicated to the cultivation of wheat, sugar cane, tobacco and cotton and livestock mostly for subsistence. The population is also dedicated to the manufacture of looms in ao po´i, and indigenous art. In addition, there are sawmills and small industries that produce furniture and bricks. Due to its proximity to Villarrica, several locals work or go to school in the departmental capital while several Villarriqueños own properties within their municipal territory.

Route PY08 constitutes its main access road which connects the municipality with the cities of Villarrica and Oviedo. In addition, another paved road heading east connects it with the municipalities of Independencia and Troche. For trips to the country's capital and other departments, the buses of the Empresa de Transportes Guaireña SA include Mbocayaty as a stop on several of their itineraries and for internal transfers they have smaller capacity buses. Most of the streets in the urban area are paved.

The Villarrica Agricultural School, dependent on the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, has its facilities in the Pirity company and has an agricultural technical baccalaureate where students learn to make dairy products, raise farm animals and cultivate orchards. In the Loma Barreto company there is the Country Club del Porvenir Guaireño, which has three tennis courts, one soccer court, one paddle tennis court and a swimming pool.

Felipe Chamorro of December 31, 1854, from which it is known that the existence of the school in Mbocayaty dates back to the independent period.

On February 16, 1904, José Natividad Melgarejo was appointed school director, who took charge on the 26th of that month and requested: «Improve the school premises that are in danger of falling; Building a shingle so that the patio does not dawn every day full of clubs and others, extremely contaminates the hygiene of common education; lack of the following supplies: (tweets), pens, paper, envelope, chalk, a Map of Paraguay, a grammar text by Andrés Bello and another on Morals and Humanity, which are the most essential for the functioning of the classes"; Likewise, it mentions materials received from Don José de Mesa.

On March 4, 1904 we found a note from Esteban Torres, preceptor of the Rural School for Boys of the Santa Bárbara company, who presented his resignation for "having entered the secondary school of Villa Rica", and made the inventory and description of the school: "a straw house built voluntarily by the neighbors for school premises, seven meters long and four and fifty centimeters wide with two cupials in good condition...". The School Council of the area, given the resignation of the school director, resolved in a session on March 8 to appoint Bernardino Sánchez as interim and requested approval from the general director of Schools; The document was signed by Pío Torres and Anastacio Talavera. Later, Ramón Díaz González became director of the Santa Bárbara school. On July 18, the School Council proposed the young Doroteo Melgarejo as director, who had completed his studies at the National Secondary School in Villa Rica.

In a note dated February 4, 1905, we find Gumersindo Escobar as director of the Boys' School, who then sent his resignation to the general director of Schools; On February 7, we found Leocadio Paniagua as general director of Boys' Schools of the Casco Rincón company, who then presented his resignation.

According to the February 1904 form of the Mbocayaty Rural Boys' School, José L. Mesa, director and teacher of 2nd and 3rd grades, born on August 25, 1865, Paraguayan, single, with 11 years in national instruction and 10 in said school, had a salary of 80 pesos, and the 1st grade assistant, with 12 years in national instruction and 11 in said school, a salary of 40 pesos.

In the form of March 1904 we find José Natividad Melgarejo, director and teacher of the 2nd grade, born on September 8, 1882, Paraguayan, single, first time in public education, with a salary of 80 pesos; and Agustín Chamorro, 1st grade teacher, born on August 21, 1868, Paraguayan, single, with 13 years in national education and the same seniority in said school, with a salary of 40 pesos.

In May 1904, at the Mbocayaty Boys' School there were 84 students between 1st grade (67) and 2nd grade (17).

At the Mbocayaty Rural Girls' School, in February 1904, Digna E. Torres was a 1st, 2nd and 3rd grade teacher, with a salary of 79 pesos and 20 cents, Paraguayan, single, 4 years in national education and the same seniority in said school, born in September 1883, baptized on November 26, 1883, 6th grade diploma received on December 31, 1899 by the hand of Honoraria E. Torres, daughter of José de la Cruz Torres and Liverata Garcete, married on February 1, 1908 to Nicolás Benítez, son of Juana Bautista Benítez; From the marriage, Luis María was born, who served in Military Health during the Chaco War, by profession a biochemist.

At the Costa Rincón Rural Boys' School, Mbocayaty, in February 1904, as director and teacher of 2nd and 3rd grades was Leocadio Paniagua, Paraguayan, single, born in December 1882, 1 year and 6 months in national instruction and the same seniority in said school; as 1st grade assistant José G. Martínez, born on March 19, 1870, Paraguayan, single, 4 years in national education and 4 years and 9 months in said school; and as authority of the School Council, Anastacio Talavera.

In February 1904, he was director and teacher of the 3rd grade of the Potrero Borja Rural School, Mbocayaty, Gumersindo Escobar, born in January 1884, Paraguayan, married, 2 years in national instruction and 7 months in said school; 1st and 2nd grade assistant, Adolfo Casco, born in April 1880, Paraguayan, married, one year in national service and 10 months in said school; authority of the local School Council, Pío Torres.

In the Rural Boys' School of Santa Bárbara, Mbocayaty, in February 1904 as a teacher was E. Torres, born in September 1885, Paraguayan, single, 10 months in national instruction and the same seniority in the school; other educators: Bernardino Sanches, Paraguayan, married, born in March 1869; T. Talavera, born January 1884, Paraguayan, married; and, since 1905, Ramón D. González, born in 1869. Pío Torres also signed as an authority of the School Council on the form for that year.

Basic School No. 138 “Digna E. Benítez” began in the current location of the Mbocayaty Municipal Museum, in front of the central plaza. The building, with adobe walls, tile roof and brick floor, with four large rooms and one small room, was inaugurated in 1911, with Braulio Ismael Lovera as director. In 1946 it was upgraded to a Higher School. In 1952 it was expanded with one more room, and since May 13, 1954, by resolution No. 67 of the Ministry of Education and Worship, it receives its current name, according to the institution's registry, in honor of a teacher who embraced her vocation with love and altruism, Digna Emérita Benítez Fernández, born on October 23, 1932, daughter of Alejo Tristán Benítez and Narcisa Fernández González, and murdered on February 26, 1953, at the age of 20 by a mentally ill person.

With the increase in the school population, at the beginning of 1961 the school operated with six grades, morning and afternoon; Therefore, the educational authorities, together with the parents, began to manage another location. Once the work was completed and furnished, it was inaugurated on October 2, 1969, with the presence of President Alfredo Stroessner and Minister of Education Raúl Peña.

In 1964, the current “Delfín Chamorro” Parish School was founded as a private high school built on land belonging to the parish. Its founder and first director was the priest Eulogio Montiel. For several years it remained closed due to lack of business and was reopened in 1974, with Capto Borja Paniagua as its director until March 1985. Thanks to the efforts of its directors and teachers, the school achieved state subsidy in terms of paying salaries to educators and administrative staff, to the point of becoming a national school. Later, the diocese regained control over the educational center and converted it into a parochial one, under the direction of priest Walter Bachmann. Subsequently, the historic school building where the first generations of high school graduates were trained was demolished. A more modern one was built on the ruins of the old building.

In 1971, the Vocational School was created in Mbocayaty thanks to the efforts of the Development Center and donations from Unicef ​​and other international organizations. In the newspaper El Surco of November 24, 1964 we read that its installation "was resolved taking into account the advantages that Mbocayaty offers, at the crossroads of two routes and a short distance from the capital of the Department... where children will learn practical and elementary knowledge about various manual and industrial arts, to awaken their vocation." In 1972, we read in the same newspaper that "the assembly" of the Industrial Arts Workshop has reached its completion, "which was feasible through the joint work of the Development Board of the area and the efforts of the Supervision of Schools of the Guairá B Zone and the Guairá Development Center; Regarding the point, the Ministry of Education and Worship had resolved to install the aforementioned workshop with the purpose of "training young people from rural areas in new professions with a great future in our area with the arrival of the energy of Acaray."

In the Costa Mbocayaty company there is the Prof. Francisca Yegros de Carpinelli public high school, founded in 1973. Among the founders, Amancio Martínez Sánchez, Wenceslao Villalba, Domingo Paniagua, Eligio Britez and Genaro González stand out. In the municipality of Mbocayaty, according to a report from the Educational Supervision Area, there are 1,414 enrolled students, 192 teachers, 11 schools, 6 colleges and 2 adult education centers.

Mbocayaty celebrates its patron saint's day on December 8 in honor of its patron saint, the Virgin of the Immaculate Conception. The image of said virgin is found in the church of the same name. The patron saint's festivities begin several weeks before with activities such as the novena of masses that are held by neighborhoods, each day corresponding to a neighborhood. There are also craft fairs and a local version of the Spanish bullfight in which the animal known as a torín is not hurt. On December 8 of each year, at 08:00 the central mass is celebrated, after the religious ceremony the image of the patron saint travels in procession through the streets of the different neighborhoods of the city. After the procession, the riders prepare for the ring game, while spectators can help themselves to the stake barbecue. At night the big dance party takes place in the municipal shed.

The Catholic temple dates back to 1854. The old construction is still well preserved. Some poorly done restoration work slightly affected the original design of the building, mainly due to the inlay of stone pieces in the interior walls.

The Ybytyruzú Sports Federation was founded in Mbocayaty, where several clubs from the district companies and neighboring districts such as Natalicio, Yataity, Troche and Bottrell are active. Among the main clubs are Sol de América and 15 de Mayo (both from the Costa Mbocayaty company), Cerro Porteño, 8 de December and 1.º de Marzo. In recent years, other teams have also joined, such as Dr. Botrell, Juventud, General Roa, 15 de Mayo, among others.

Tennis is practiced in Mbocayaty since the country headquarters of the Club Porvenir Guaireño de Villarrica is located in this town and has three clay tennis courts and a paddle tennis court.

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