Asunci�n, Paraguay

Asunci�n, population 500,938 (1992), is the capital of Paraguay. It is the principal port and chief industrial and cultural center of the country. Manufactures include footwear, textiles, and tobacco products.

Asunci�n is one of the oldest cities in South America. The site of the city may have been first visited by Juan de Ayolas[?], but the town, called Nuestra Se�ora de la Asunci�n (Our Lady of the Assumption), was founded in 1536 or 1537, by Juan de Salazar[?] and Gonzalo de Mendoza[?]. In 1731 an uprising under Jos� de Antequera y Castro[?] was one of the first rebellions against Spanish colonial rule. After the War of the Triple Alliance[?] (1865-70), Asunci�n was occupied by Brazilian troops until 1876.

The city is home to the Godoi Museum[?], the Church of La Encarnaci�n[?], and the Pante�n Nacional[?], a smaller version of Les Invalides in Paris, where many of the nation's heroes are entombed.