Santa María
District
Santa María de Fe
Flag of Santa María
Flag
Santa María is located in Paraguay
Santa María
Santa María
Location in Paraguay
Coordinates: 26°47′6″S 56°56′24″W / 26.78500°S 56.94000°W / -26.78500; -56.94000
CountryParaguay
DepartmentMisiones
Founded1647
Government
 • Intendente MunicipalDamián García (PLRA)
Area
 • Total520 km2 (200 sq mi)
Elevation
130 m (430 ft)
Population
 • Total7,385
 • Density14/km2 (37/sq mi)
Postal code
4950
Area code(595) (781)

Santa María de Fe is a town and district located in the Misiones Department in Paraguay, located about 15 km from the city of San Ignacio.

History

Father Emmanuel Berthot founded the town in 1647.

The original church was destroyed by a fire in 1889. Fortunately, many paintings were able to be salvaged and can be admired today in the church and in the museum. In the museum there are many beautiful Baroque paintings and wooden sculptures on show.

In 1787, Rev. José Agustín Molas was born in Santa María de Fe, one of the Catholic priests who took part in the independence revolution on 14th and 15th May 1811. Molas is remembered as one of the heros who helped liberate Paraguay.

The French explorer and botanist, Amado Aimé Bonpland was detained in Santa María until 1829. Whilst he was there, he taught the local population how to cultivate different plants and methods to produce candies and liquors. He married his wife María, a daughter of a cacique, with whom he had two children.

Geography

The district of Santa María de Fe is located in the Eastern Region of Paraguay. It's located 253 km south of Asuncion, the capital of the country, one arrives at Santa Maria, taking the National Route Number 1, and then taking a detour between the cities of San Ignacio and Santa Rosa.

Limits

The district of Santa María is bordered by the following districts:

Demography

According to the 2002 Census, Santa María has a total population of 7,385 inhabitants, of which 1,981 lives in the urban area of the district.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.