Santa Ana de los Guácaras

Santa Ana de los Guácaras (full name: Santa Ana de los Indios Guácaras) is a town in the province of Corrientes, Argentina, located about 20 kilometers from the provincial capital, in the San Cosme department. It forms part of the Gran Corrientes urban agglomeration. The town was founded around 1621 as a reduction governed by Franciscan friars, populated with Guácaras natives. Part of the natives who escaped the destruction of Concepción de Buena Esperanza settled there. Among the few traces of their culture that remain are the carvings made for the church of Santa Ana, built in 1771; the church was destroyed in December 1821 during a Paraguayan invasion ordered by Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia, in which troops under the command of the Itapúa commander Norberto Ortellado defeated the Guaraní chief Nicolás Aripí in the last battle fought by an army entirely composed of Guaraní natives. The town was rebuilt and remodeled between 1889 and 1891, and declared a National Historic Monument. Santa Ana was the residence of the French naturalist Aimé Bonpland when he settled in Corrientes, invited by Governor Pedro Ferré to direct the Museum of Natural History of the city. The town is very close to the city of Corrientes, connected by provincial route 43 and national route 12 to the west. The Doctor Fernando Piragine Niveyro International Airport is just 11 kilometers away. Public passenger transport includes the ERSA Urbano group line 109 (which reaches about 4 km before the town) and the "Santa Ana" branch that enters the town. The old line 11 also connects passengers between the capital and the town, still accepting cash. Santa Ana de los Guácaras does not have a long-distance bus terminal. The town has two schools: a secondary school and a primary school, and the JIN No. 51 is located in the primary school facilities. The secondary school is named Colegio Secundario "Pedro Leconte", while the primary school is Escuela Primaria N°105 "Pedro Matoso". In culture, the film Sapucay, mi pueblo premiered on October 3, 1997, directed by Fernando Siro, and was largely filmed in Santa Ana. In 2011, artist Gicela Méndez Ribeiro and filmmaker Marcel Czombos created the first film festival in Corrientes province, called "Guácaras Festival de Cine 100% Regional", now included in the national festival grid by INCAA. The event has grown, reaching 2,000 attendees in 2014, and its latest edition was in December 2021. In 2013, the first two literary works of the town were published: Guácaras: Tierra de Duendes by José Facundo Alarcón, and Sortilegio de una Luna cuando pasa por mi Pueblo by Argentino Amílcar Zacarías. In 2017, a puppet festival was held for the first time. Tourism attractions include the open-air museum with two locomotives and wagons of the old Ferrocarril Económico Correntino, whose train station is located in front of Plaza General Belgrano. In front of Plaza San Martín, the Casa de la Cultura can be visited, where crafts are exhibited and sold, a library is available, and historical objects are displayed, many donated by the town's inhabitants. In 2017, the Casa was moved to a nearby location as work began on a museum project. The construction of the museum, remodeling, and enhancement was confirmed, and work began months later. The "Tierra Sin Mal" foundation will be in charge of the technical work of the future "Museo Histórico de Santa Ana", together with the community through interviews, workshops, and meetings. Santa Ana de los Guácaras organizes the "Fiesta Provincial del Mango" every year, celebrating the abundance of the fleshy tropical fruit. This distinctive event had its first edition in 2014 and obtained provincial status from the 2019 edition. It lasts 3 days and is held every January.

Santa Ana de los Guácaras was founded around 1621 as a reduction governed by Franciscan friars, populated with Guácaras natives. Part of the natives who escaped the destruction of Concepción de Buena Esperanza settled there. Among the few traces of their culture that remain are the carvings made for the church of Santa Ana, built in 1771. The church was destroyed in December 1821 during a Paraguayan invasion ordered by Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia, in which troops under the command of the Itapúa commander Norberto Ortellado defeated the Guaraní chief Nicolás Aripí in the last battle fought by an army entirely composed of Guaraní natives. The town was rebuilt and remodeled between 1889 and 1891, and declared a National Historic Monument. Santa Ana was the residence of the French naturalist Aimé Bonpland when he settled in Corrientes, invited by Governor Pedro Ferré to direct the Museum of Natural History of the city. In 1997, the film Sapucay, mi pueblo premiered, largely filmed in Santa Ana. In 2011, the first film festival of Corrientes province, "Guácaras Festival de Cine 100% Regional", was created. In 2013, the first two literary works of the town were published. In 2014, the first edition of the "Fiesta Provincial del Mango" was held, and the film festival reached 2,000 attendees. In 2017, a puppet festival was held for the first time, and the Casa de la Cultura was moved to a nearby location as a museum project began. The "Fiesta Provincial del Mango" obtained provincial status from the 2019 edition. The latest edition of the film festival was in December 2021.

• 2021

  Latest edition of the film festival held in December.

• 2019

  "Fiesta Provincial del Mango" obtained provincial status.

• 2017

  First puppet festival held; Casa de la Cultura moved as museum project began.

• 2014

  First edition of the "Fiesta Provincial del Mango" held; film festival reached 2,000 attendees.

• 2013

  First two literary works of the town published.

• 2011

  First film festival of Corrientes province, "Guácaras Festival de Cine 100% Regional", created.

• 1997

  Film Sapucay, mi pueblo premiered, largely filmed in Santa Ana.

• 1889

  Town rebuilt and remodeled between 1889 and 1891.

• 1821

  Church destroyed during a Paraguayan invasion ordered by Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia.

• 1771

  Church of Santa Ana built.

• 1621

  Founded as a reduction governed by Franciscan friars, populated with Guácaras natives.

1. 1Santa Ana de los Guacaras, Corrientes, Argentina – Portal de Santa Ana. La voz del Pueblosantaanadelosguacaras.com
2. 2Santa Ana de los Guácaras - Wikidatawikidata.org
3. 3Santa Ana de los Guácaras - Wikipedia, la enciclopedia librees.wikipedia.org