Travel Guide Tañarandy

Tañarandý means "Land of the Irreducible", or "Land of the Heretics", in reference to the natives of the area who refused the religious conversion of the Jesuits! This village, located 3 kilometres from San Ignacio, is known for its night procession of the Virgen Dolorosa (Our Lady of Sorrows) which takes place on Good Friday. Thousands of people disembark from all over the country to follow the Estacioneros (lament singers), on a path illuminated with torches and candles. These candles are prepared with cotton soaked in oil and a fabric wick, all placed in an orange peel. There are also magnificent Cuadros Vivientes ("Living Paintings"): theatre actors stage paintings by famous painters. Delfín Roque Ruiz Pérez, alias Koki Ruiz, a self-taught local artist, initiated this event. His workshop and foundation are called "La Barraca". This painter and sculptor is one of the greatest Paraguayan artists of religious art. Among other things, he created El Altar del Maíz, a huge altarpiece made from corn cobs, coconuts and gourds. The work was installed in the Parque Ñu Guasu (Luque), for the mass of Pope Francis, which took place on July 12, 2015 in front of a million people. Another curiosity of Tañarandý: the entrances to the properties on Amorcito Street are illustrated with naive paintings, showing the trades of their inhabitants: farmer, craftsman, tailor, lawyer... The village chapel has frescoes made by local artists. Tañarandý can be reached on foot from the centre of San Ignacio (about 45 minutes), or by taxi (30-40,000 Gs).