The main cultural assets of Paraguay

Paraguay’s heritage is a blend of Indigenous Guaraní peoples' culture and that of Spain. The Guaraní have preserved their traditional cultural expressions, such as music, literature, arts and traditional crafts, and the Guaraní language, which is spoken along with Spanish. Much of Paraguay's enduring built heritage dates to the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries when Jesuit and Franciscan missions left behind architecture and sculptures that comprise the Hispano-Guaraní baroque legacy.

The legal framework on cultural heritage conservation

Paraguay's 1992 constitution recognizes the importance of cultural heritage. According to Article 81 of the constitution, the State and its competent bodies are responsible for the management, safeguarding and rescue of the various expressions of culture.

Law No. 5621/16 “On the Protection of Cultural Heritage” has as its objective the protection, safeguarding, rescue, restoration and registration of cultural assets throughout the country, in addition to the diffusion and study of such properties. This law replaced the older Law No. 946/82, which was in force for over 30 years. The National Secretariat of Culture is the highest authority in Paraguay’s field of culture, acting as the governing body responsible for the application of policies, programmes and projects, guaranteeing compliance with the country’s laws.

Paraguay is signatory to several international conventions related to the protection of cultural heritage, including the World Heritage Convention, the Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, and the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.

The cultural and natural sites on the World Heritage List
Paraguay has one cultural site inscribed on the Jesuit Missions of La Santísima Trinidad de Paraná and Jesús de Tavarangue. These missions are notable not only for their artistic value but also for their historical and cultural significance, as they serve as a reminder of the Jesuits' efforts to Christianize the Río de la Plata basin during the 17th and 18th centuries, and the social and economic initiatives that accompanied their work. Paraguay is also represented on the List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity with the Practices and traditional knowledge of Terere in the culture of Pohã Ñana, Guaraní ancestral drink in Paraguay.

Paraguay is a Member State of ICCROM since 21/06/1973

Mandates in ICCROM Council since 1958:

ICCROM Staff since 1959: - None -

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Governmental Cultural Institutions

• Secretaría Nacional de Cultura

Museums and Cultural Heritage Institutions

• Museos Nacionales
• Biblioteca Nacional Paraguay
• Archivo Nacional de Asunción

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