Notes on Paraguay, the past and the present

BASIC INFORMATION Paraguay is in a new historical phase facing important economic, social and political problems. Fully mobilizing its social capital could be a great step in achieving the mandates that the citizenship has demanded from the new government: to strengthen democracy. Not only does social capital have to do with invisible aspects of a society's functioning, but it also has great incidence in its historical performance. Among the examples of this are the interpersonal …

…religious occasions. The populace enjoyed the celebrations associated with fiestas, but actual belief and practice were typically uninformed by orthodox Catholic dogma. Especially in rural Paraguay, the saints associated with popular devotion were often no more than revered local figures. Religious societies played an important role, planning and organizing local fiestas and undertaking welfare activities. Various lay brotherhoods assumed responsibility for assisting widows and children, among other duties associated with the care of the poor.