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11 Chapter twO Forgetting Solano López Debating the Paraguayan Foundational Narrative [ In mid-1924 the small literary journal Juventud, written and published by university students, included a short narrative entitled “Cerro Corá.”1 The author, Ramón Corvalan Ortiz, recounted his pilgrimage to Francisco Solano López’s burial place where the sights, sounds, and smells of this remote jungle grave stirred great emotion in the young man. Arriving at Cerro Corá on a cold, rainy night, he was so moved by the events that occurred there that, unlike his traveling companions, he was unable to find sleep until daybreak. Later that morning he awoke to a beautiful day and the melodic sounds of the jungle. The author finally made it to the grave of the hero where he observed the small bronze cross placed there in remembrance of Solano López by the townspeople of Pedro Juan Caballero. He remarked on the sad state of the grave and observed how it was covered neither in flowers nor tears, but simply abandoned to the surrounding jungle. Our narrator commented on the role that the Paraguayan youth will have in reshaping the national narrative and the events of Cerro Corá: “There in the profound solitude of the centuries, extended in distance like a silver hair. . . . It is like a large bandage. . . . A bandage that is waiting for its removal by the Paraguayan youth. . . . A bandage that once lifted will allow history to bathe in light.” The next generation of Paraguayans, those who were the grandchildren of the men who fought alongside Solano López, would be responsible for changing the narrative surrounding the memory of el Mariscal. Finally, the author ended his sojourn falling to his knees and offering a patriotic prayer.2 chapter two 12 The memory of el Mariscal, and his role in the formation of the nation was one of the defining characteristics of Paraguayan nationalism. To those who supported the actions of Solano López (commonly known as Lopistas) during the War of the Triple Alliance, he was the man who saved the nation from certain oblivion by victors determined to divide Paraguay among themselves . On the other hand, there were those who felt that Solano López led the nation blindly into a devastating war that only ended when Brazilian and Argentine forces occupied and took control of the nation. Paraguay, according to these thinkers, was in economic, social, and cultural ruin. To these men (and I use the word “men” because there were no women participating in the written debate concerning Solano López in the early twentieth century) the official narrative needed to expunge the memory of Solano López. This debate surrounding the actions of Solano López before and during the War of the Triple Alliance has shaped the cultural, social, and political future to this day, more than 140 years after the final Paraguayan defeat at Cerro Corá in 1870. However, the struggle for control of Solano López’s legacy—whether to deify it or to vilify it—was most heated during the years 1904–1936 when intellectual and cultural debates surrounding the national heritage were fresh in the minds of many political, cultural, and scientific leaders. These two polarized views of Solano López determined how the Paraguayans saw themselves. If Solano López was a “tyrant,” then Paraguayans of the early part of the twentieth century would have to work hard to redeem their nation, their history, and their legacy. If Solano López was a hero, then his name could be used to motivate the Paraguayan people to defend their land. This chapter will explore what the elites meant by “Paraguay” in the early decades of the twentieth century. While there are two main protagonists in this chapter, the Lopistas and the anti-Lopistas, this conflict was not the only nationalistic concern of twentieth-century Paraguayan writers. Elites also paid considerable attention to the importance of explaining the nation’s mixed racial heritage. Furthermore, they debated the role of the Guaraní language in “civilizing,” or retarding the “civilizing process,” of the nation. These men were also busy developing a narrative about the agricultural roots and destiny of the nation. Even for the most modern of Paraguayan thinkers, the agricultural foundations and future of the nation were a fundamental source of pride and hope. Finally, elites concerned themselves with explaining and promoting the healthy tropical environment of the nation. Because of Paraguay’s small population (approximately 880...

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