Filadelfia

Filadelfia is the largest and most important of the Mennonite colonies established in Western Paraguay located 467 km northwest from Asunción. A unique place thanks to its Mennonite heritage, Filadelfia is very different from the rest of Paraguay mainly due to being an industrialized town, German-speaking, and with an economic model based in the cooperative work that provides its citizens a living standard well above that of the country's average. Its remote location and being surrounded by the harsh, sparsely populated, desert-like environment of the Chaco adds a special air to the city. There are also pristine nature reserves not far from town, excellent historical museums, and good lodging and eating facilities. All this in a welcoming Mennonite community just off the desolate Transchaco highway.

Understand
Founded by German Mennonites in 1930, today Filadelfia is the largest and most important city of the Chaco with a population of about 18,000 inhabitants. It is also the capital of Boquerón department and the administrative center of the Fernheim Cooperative, one of the largest in Paraguay which, in turn, is responsible for running many aspects and services of the city like the hospital, the main supermarket, the savings bank, the school, and many others, which are paid for by the profits from the cooperative. A large fraction of its population descends from German Mennonites who immigrated from the former Soviet Union in the 1930s. Though most people associate Filadelfia with Mennonites, there are a number of non-Mennonite residents as well. The fact is that the Mennonites comprise 30% of the population and run most of the local businesses and tourist facilities. There are four indigenous communities — the Nivaclé, the Guaraní, the Enxet and the Ayoreo — who account for 60% of the population. The remainder are Latin Paraguayans and foreigners who are neither Mennonite nor indigenous. Filadelfia is the most cosmopolitan of the communities of the Chaco; walking down the streets you are likely to see blond farmers in overalls, modern-looking Latinos speaking on cell phones, and indigenous women wearing long skirts decorated with bright cartoonish prints.

History
The word ‘Fernheim’ is a composition of two German words, which stand for ‘far away home’. The first settlers moved in from the Russian Federation under the sporsonship of the then German president Paul von Hindenburg and found a new home in the central Chaco of Paraguay. In 1930, a group of 1572 people arrived from Russia and established the Fernheim colony. Originally, they organized themselves in 12 villages of 20 – 25 farms each. The following years they added up other smaller groups and nowadays they total 25 villages plus the city of Filadelfia. For the administration of the colonizing society and the coordination of the sale of the agricultural products, as well as the supply of consumer products, it was necessary to establish an administrative center. The decision was made to establish Filadelfia on the site where the city is now located. Here they had found enough underground freshwater and it was the central point for all the villages. The Mennonites still speak their ancestral Low German language (Plattdeutsch).

Economy
Filadelfia is the economic hub of the Chaco. Mennonites, indigenous Paraguayans from Asunción and Brazilians have been attracted to the area by job opportunities. The economy is mostly cattle herding, beef processing, and industrialization of dairy products. The colony produces five main agricultural goods: castor beans (for hydraulic oil), cotton, sorbum (for biodiesel), sesame and peanuts. Nearly all of the Mennonite families have shares in the Fernheim cooperative. Outsiders (non-Mennonites) can rent or buy land from the cooperative on condition of living one year among the community so their character can be judged. The cooperative collects 10% of a member's earnings and in return members get use of all the benefits the cooperative offers, such as discounts at the supermarket, health insurance, elderly care, university scholarship, among others which are not provided by the Paraguayan government. They may also get financial dividends, but they will sometimes hold votes on whether to retain the dividends and invest them in new facilities and benefits. The cooperative provides services for non-members, such as schools and radio broadcasts for the indigenous population. Filadelfia is very segregated with the majority of non-Mennonites living in the Barrio Amistad neighbourhood and the city's indigenous residents living in the Barrio Villa Guaraní.

Water supply is a major issue in the Chaco; all households in the city are able to collect rainwater which can be stored for use. A project of desalinisation of ground water is underway as rainfall can sometimes be low. Electricity is supplied by ANDE, the state-owned power company; it used to be generated locally by burning wood. The population is growing 4% per year, while demands on power grow 20% per year, as affluence increases.

Orientation
Avenida Hindenburg is the main street, stretching from north to south with stores, hotels and restaurants all along it. When coming from Asunción you enter the city from the south as you take Avenida Hindenburg at the site of the Third Monument. Those coming from neighbouring Loma Plata enter the city from the west through Avenida Trébol, the other major street in Filadelfia. Avenida Trébol crosses Avenida Hindenburg in the middle of the city at the site of the Second Monument. There is no central square or big church in the city center. The headquarters of the Fernheim Cooperative, at Avenida Hindenburg and Calle Unruh, will be your main point of reference when asking for directions. The city is surrounded by an endless sea of semiarid flat bush forest, which is the characteristic environment of the dry Chaco region.

Climate
The weather in Filadelfia is dry. The hottest months of summertime last from November to March and the heat can be severe. In winter, temperatures can drop below freezing and the chill can be strong from one day to another. This is due to the desert environment of the Chaco and visitors should bring appropriate clothing and drink plenty of water.

Talk
The Mennonite community speak German as their mother tongue. Officially their ethno-language is Plautdietsch, a German dialect of the East Low German group, however the majority of the Chaco Mennonites uses Standard German in church and for reading and writing. Non-Mennonites speak both Spanish and Guaraní as Paraguay is a bilingual country, the first one in the Americas that made its indigenous tongue an official language. English is taught in the Mennonite schools and widely understood amongst the young population.

Get in
Overland is the only way to get to Filadelfia.

By bus
Buses terminate at the office on calle Chaco Boreal; you may also disembark on the hotels located along Avenida Hindenburg, the main street. Some buses stop in Loma Plata first and then continue on to Fildelfia. The main bus company serving the area is NASA-Golondrina (not to be confused with top service bus company NSA). 2 buses (11:00, 20:45), Gs.115,000 (Jan 2023)
 * to Asunción 467 km, ~7 hr, 5 buses per day (7:15, 13:00, 14:30, 21:00, 22:00), GS.140,000 (Feb 2023)
 * to Loma Plata 21 km, ~45 min, 1 bus per day, GS.10,000
 * to Mariscal Estigarribia 75 km, ~2 hr, 2 buses per day (14:30, 21:00, 3:00) GS.30,000 (Mar 2023)
 * to Concepcion

Santa Cruz, Bolivia – The bus travels between Asunción and Santa Cruz and is extremely slow (the Transchaco Highway is only paved as far as the Bolivian border). Buses generally travel only at night - meaning that you miss out on any views of the Chaco, and roadblocks on the Bolivian side of the border can cause your journey time to double. There is at least one bus daily. The trip takes 21-24 hr, costs US$40-60 (bargain if you can), and flights might actually only be marginally more expensive, depending on the time of booking. Any intermediate exit or boarding (like Filadelfia or Villamontes) will likely cost the same as the complete trip. But if your nerves are strong, you will get the price down bargaining directly with the bus driver.

By car
Filadelfia has good road connections to Asunción and the other Mennonite colonies of the Chaco. Even if the road is not paved it will be well kept by the Fernheim Cooperative. The city center is 15 km off the Transchaco Highway. Asunción is 467 km to the southeast, and the Bolivia border is 303 km to the northwest; travelling time to both sides is about 7 hours.

Get around
The town sprawls several kilometers in all directions and there is no public transportation, except for a few taxis, but the terrain is flat and most of the interesting places and tourist attractions can be easily reached on foot as they are along or close to Avenida Hindenburg. The only taxi stand is near the bus terminal.

Museums
There is an excellent array of well-kept museums that showcase the history and social development of the colony. The museums are owned and managed by the Fernheim Cooperative and are all free. However, only the Jakob Unger museum is permanently open to the public. For visiting the other museums you will have to arrange the visit through the tourist office.

In town

 * Relax in one of the shaded city parks like the and the, watching the butterflies and birds flit around the interesting bottle trees (shaped like bottles, high in water content - used to keep cattle hydrated in drought).
 * Explore the tree-lined avenues and dusty streets and take in the mostly regular, solid German architecture in the affluent Mennonite neighbourhoods.
 * You can participate in a Mennonite religious service. There are various Mennonite churches around the city. All are open for foreigners and the tourist office can arrange visits and guide you to many of them. The and the  are the most centrally located. Mennonite churches are not particularly glamorous in their architecture (are quite modern in style) and the iconography of their interiors is not very interesting. They can vary in their routines and traditions; the more conservative ones practice separate seating for men and women - the men sitting on one side of the church and the women on the other. The music is usually a capella congregational singing, with no instrumental accompaniment and no choir or worship team. Prayer is often done while kneeling. Typically after the service, the congregation lingers for a time of talking and fellowship. You are free to participate in the conversation and ask questions. You may find that they are as curious about you as you are about them.

Outdoors

 * For easy access from town follow Ave. Hindenburg out north for about 12km. You will arrive at ‘’Flor del Chaco’’. For GS.10,000 you can access their facilities and go to explore various small paths that give you an impression of Chaco flora and fauna. There are some observation/camping spots, and a small observation tower. Armadillos, Tapirs, Foxes and Dear can be found, likely before sunrise or after sunset. (Feb. 2023)


 * Make a visit to one of the estancias (ranches) that are open to receiving visitors like Estancia Campo Norte at 130 km, at 61 km, or the Rancho Garrote at just 4 km from Filadelfia. During your visit you can watch or participate in the estancia activities, or do some hiking in the Chaco bush forests. Ask at the tourist office how to arrange the visit.
 * It is possible to visit some of the indigenous communities but it's not recommended to do so unless you have organized the visit previously with an accredited guide through the tourist office. The main indigenous groups living in the area are the Lengua, also known as the Enxet, who moved to Filadelfia in the 1980s seeking construction work for the men and domestic work for the women. The married Lengua women wear long skirts covering their ankles. The Nivaclés is another ethnic group who are known for the beauty of their women. The Ayoreo are semi-nomadic and are the people who have been least changed by the process of development. They make very attractive fibre bags, coloured in earthy browns and reds. They also sometimes sell honey harvested from the wild.

Festivals

 * The Areté Guazú (Big Celebration) of the Guaraní people coincides with carnival time (starting Saturday night with beauty peasant, mascerade celebration on Sunday morning, Monday, and finally Tuesday evening before Ash Wednesday). It is even referred to by the indigenous community as their own carnival celebration. It's the only opportunity when the indigenous people, who are generally shy and little prone to be visited by foreigners, issue a general invitation to anyone to visit and join them in their annual festival. In Filadelfia the celebration takes place in the social club of their barrio (neighbourhood) Yvopey Renda. They wear long costumes and masks - of tigers, pigs or frightening faces of dead ancestors - The music is played on their traditional instruments, such as flutes and drums. People dance and drink chicha, a beverage made from the fermented fruit of the algarrobo - a tree that grows only in the Chaco.

Buy
It's recommended that visitors to the Chaco bring cash, as outside hotels, major restaurants or the cooperative supermarket, only a few shops in town accept credit cards. Local artisan goods from jewellery to statuettes, both of Guaraní and German tradition can be found in local shops. If you need to exchange currency, there are two banks in town (both along Av. Hindenburg) and they reportedly take US dollars and Brazilian reais. Cooperativa Fernheim is between Calle Unruh and Calle Industrial and Itaú is just south of the supermarket. The latter is also equipped with an ATM, which accepts international cards. Most businesses and shops are closed weekdays from 12:00-14:00, Saturday afternoon and Sunday.

Eat




Drink
The Mennonites are very hardworking people and after dark it seems that everyone goes to bed. However, south of the Fernheim supermarket, where the indigenous and Latino neighbourhoods are located, you will find a few small bars.

Sleep
Hotels in Filadelfia are in the mid-range category. They can offer new and old rooms. Old rooms are cheaper, but they don't have air conditioning and are not recommended in summer. Take note that during the annual Transchaco Rally competition in late September/early October, it's almost impossible to get a hotel room without prior reservation.





Connect

 * Most hotels offer Wi-Fi for guests. Claro and Tigo have decent 3G coverage in the area.
 * Why not send postcards from the post office at the supermarket? A Filadelfia stamped card will have probably one of the most unlikely frank-marks anyone will ever receive from you. The post-office sells cards for GS.4,500, and stamps for abroad start at GS.15,000 (March 2019)

Go next
Filadelfia can be a good place to use as a base for visiting the Central Chaco. There are many national parks, nature reserves, and the other Mennonite colonies are close and worth visiting. Additionally, many independent travellers and backpackers continue to Bolivia and Peru.
 * Loma Plata - 25 km to the west. A major Mennonite town, bigger than Filadelfia, with a large industry of dairy products.
 * Neuland - 37 km to the south. It's the smallest of the Mennonite colonies and a charming town close to historic sites full of relics of the Chaco War.
 * Mariscal Estigarribia - 75 km to the northwest. The site of a large military airbase and the last stop before continuing to more remote areas of the central and northern Chaco.
 * Bolivia - There are no direct buses from Filadelfia to the Bolivian border located 303 km to the northwest. To go there you will have to catch the Asunción-Bolivia bus in Mariscal Estigarribia. First purchase your bus ticket at Stel Turismo agency in Filadelfia. You will have to pay for the entire journey from Asuncion and the cost is US$65 to Santa Cruz de la Sierra. Then take the bus to Mariscal Estigarribia and ask the driver to drop you off at the immigration office. You will have to wait there for the bus from Asunción to Bolivia to come. Buses normally depart from Asunción daily at 20:00 and reach Mariscal Estigarribia around 03:00. When the bus arrives the immigration officer will check your passport and issue your exit stamp. Don't board the bus without doing this as there is no Paraguayan immigration at the border. Once you have boarded the bus you will travel for 6-7 hours before you arrive at Bolivian immigration.