The Grandchildren of Solano López: Frontier and Nation in Paraguay, 1904–1936

Acknowledgments

ix Acknowledgments [ As I tell my students every semester, the writing of history does not happen without a community who supports, encourages, teaches, inspires, and evaluates. This book is no exception. An international array of family, colleagues, and friends contributed their expertise and assistance to this project . The network of contributors spans the globe: from Asunción, Paraguay, to Long Island, New York; from Athens, Georgia, to Cologne, Germany; and from Toronto, Canada, to Córdoba, Argentina. Mostacknowledgementsbeginwithprofessionalrecognitions.Mine,however , must start with my parents, María Chesterton and Alan Chesterton. This project started when they sent me on a vacation with my grandparents, Carlos and María Gaido, from Córdoba, Argentina, to Asunción, Paraguay, in 1989, just weeks after the fall of Alfredo Stroessner. Little could they have imagined that that sojourn would so profoundly shape my professional and academic life. During my two-day stay in Paraguay, I learned about that nation’s disastrous defeat in the War of the Triple Alliance and its successes in the Chaco. I was mesmerized. For the first time in my life, I felt history come alive everywhere I turned. I also made a personal connection with Aldo Albertini, a close friend of my uncle and aunt, Hugo Gaido and Matilde (Coca) Gamond de Gaido, and Aldo’s then very young family—my first connection in Asunción. For that bus ticket, support (emotional and financial), encouragement, and love I am profoundly grateful. I also need to thank my sister, Rita Chesterton, acknowledgments x for her love, support, and endless patience as she listened to all my ideas about the Chaco as I thought aloud. Thanks Mom, Dad, and Rita. My years at Stony Brook University left me indebted to many, including first and foremost Paul Gootenberg, Brooke Larson, and Thomas Klubock. Their careful readings, assessments, and insights are immensely appreciated. Special thanks to Thomas Whigham at the University of Georgia for supporting this budding Paraguayanist. His knowledge of Paraguayan history is without comparison and his ideas have profoundly influenced my work. Thanks to Jerry Cooney for his insightful and significant contributions to this project. In Paraguay, I am grateful to Adelina Pusineri, Raquel Zalazar, and the entire staff at the Museo Andrés Barbero. Their generosity, friendship , and support are unmatched. Others who contributed in various ways to this project in Paraguay include Roberto Cespedes, Guido Rodríguez Alcalá, Martín Romano Garcia, Mario Rubén Álvarez, Diego Abente, Margarita Prieto Yergos, Margarita Duran, Ricardo Scavone Yegros, Osvaldo Masi, Father Carlos Heyn, Miguel Fritz, Gundolf Niebuhr, Ramón Sosa, Heinrich Ratzlaff, María Elena González Aguilar, Ana Barreto Valinotti, Ana Silke Vera de Schmidt, and Bishop Lucio Alfert. I also warmly thank those who opened their family archives to me, including the late Alicia Medin de Trujillo, her son, Félix Trujillo, and her grandson, Manuel Trujillo. Ramon Sosa Azuaga also shared some family correspondence with me and I am profoundly grateful for the generosity. I give special thanks to Aldo, Doris, Bettina, Franco, and Fabbrizio Albertini. The latter three were just children when I met them in 1989; what fun has it been to watch them grow and flourish! Without the assistance of the entire Albertini family I do not know how I would have found my way around Asunción or navigated the challenges of that city. I do know, however, that my weekends would have been lonely without them. Gracias. Tío y Tía, gracias por la conexción; it continues to be invaluable. My stays in Asunción were also made comfortable and easy because of Iván Vera Jochem’s priceless friendship, superior intellect, and selfless generosity. Danka schön, Iván. Since my arrival in Buffalo in 2007, I have been surrounded by a community of academics extending from Binghamton to Toronto. Thanks to the numerous members of the New York State Latin American Workshop, especially Anne Macpherson and Nancy Appelbaum, who have made me feel welcome in the far reaches of New York State. In Toronto, I wish to thank the Latin American Research Group who thoughtfully gave insight into what became chapter 3. In particular, I must thank Frederic Vallvé, Gillian Acknowledgments xi McGillivray, Anne Rubenstein, Alan Durston, and the other Paraguayanist in the group, Dot Tuer. Toronto is lucky to have such accomplished scholars and cooks! Buffalo State College has welcomed me with open arms. They...