In a decades-long friendship, Geni and Ramona revive Foz do Iguaçu

Geni and Ramona meet every day. They have been friends for decades and share, in addition to memories, a similar life story. Both Paraguayans left their home country to live in Foz do Iguaçu when the Friendship Bridge did not yet exist.

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The octogenarian friends live in Vila Paraguaia, one of the first neighborhoods in Foz do Iguaçu. It was there, in an area next to Jardim América, that many Paraguayans settled as soon as they were able to cross the Paraná River in the 1950s.

Some left the country to escape persecution imposed by Alfredo Stroessner's dictatorship between 1954 and 1989; others, due to the consequences of that period: unemployment and poverty.

This is how Vila Paraguaia came into being, a piece of Foz do Iguaçu where exponents of the city's memory live and have lived: Paraguayans persecuted by the dictatorship, workers who built the Friendship Bridge and workers who worked in commerce and the hotel industry when the city was still in its infancy.

Geni, whose real name is Marcelina Aguayo, has just turned 89. A widow, she arrived in Foz do Iguaçu at the age of 23 in search of a job and remembers some interesting stories.

One of them, when he worked at the first airport in Foz do Iguaçu, now Gresfi, served coffee to then president Castelo Branco and “king” Roberto Carlos. “He liked Brazil, Brazil is wonderful,” he heard from Castelo Branco.

After her time at the airport, between 1960 and 1965, where she also served snacks to supply the planes that carried tourists, Geni went to work in a store at the Hotel das Cataratas. Afterwards, she continued her family life.

Originally from Itakyry, a hundred kilometers from the border, she crossed the Paraná River in search of work and worked hard. She has a daughter, granddaughter and family nearby. 

Her friend, Cristina Ramona Duarte, is 85 years old. She left Coronel Oviedo, 230 kilometers from the border, and around the 1960s she was already in Curitiba to obtain her definitive documentation and live on this side.

She decided to move to Foz because her mother wanted to be close to a sister who was living there. She started working in the shops on Avenida Brasil, married a Paraguayan man whose father was of German origin and who worked on the construction of the Friendship Bridge, had three children and became the owner of a market and store. She became a widow and now spends time with friends and family.

In this interview, the friends relive memories of another Foz do Iguaçu, from the 1960s onwards, and talk about the early days of Vila Paraguaia.

A little piece of Paraguay in Brazil

Vila Paraguaia has four blocks, alleys and residents who exude friendliness. The neighborhood, next to Jardim América, began to form in the 1950s and gained momentum with the beginning of the construction of the Friendship Bridge in 1956.

It was named Vila Santana because the developer was called Santana Ramirez, a Brazilian son of Paraguayans. From 1975 onwards, it was named Vila Paraguaia.

Many workers who worked on the bridge construction bought a piece of land and moved to the village – from where it is possible to see the Paraná River from some streets. Over time, the Paraguayan community grew and eventually settled in the city.

In the neighborhood's first decades, the challenge was to obtain asphalt from the government and infrastructure improvements. After many demands, it was only in 1981, with the creation of a residents' association, now defunct, that the village secured paved streets, lighting and a decent water supply.

It was there that another important character in the history of Foz lived, Ignacia Ayala de Santacruz (1941–2024), considered the first female taxi driver in the Three Borders. She faced prejudice, including from the police, to get behind the wheel.

Another resident remembered in the village is the player Carlos Antônio Chavez, known as Curê, who began his career with the Foz do Iguaçu team and played for important Brazilian and Paraguayan teams, such as Guarani de Campinas, Cerro Porteño and Olímpia.

Paraguayan streets

Vila Paraguaia has some streets that refer to the history of Paraguay:

Rua Mariscal Francisco Solano López – Solano López (1827–1870) was a Paraguayan ruler who ruled the country from 1862 to 1870. Raised in Napoleon III's France, where he received a military education, he was in command of Paraguay when the country emerged defeated in the War of the Triple Alliance, one of the bloodiest conflicts in Latin America that resulted in more than 300 deaths. In Paraguay, he is seen as a national hero.

14th of May Street – Independence of Paraguay from Spanish rule in 1811. Also refers to a guerrilla organization that rose up against Stroessner's dictatorship (May 14 Movement).

Our Lady of Caacupé Street – Patron saint of Paraguay.

Ramon Santacruz Aguayo Street – Pioneer of the village.

Acaray Alley – Name of an indigenous tribe exterminated by white men. Aca (head) and Y (water). Water head. The local alley is used for the residents' June festival.

Caaguazú Alley – It means big forest, in Guarani. It is also the name of a Paraguayan department (state).

Ypacarai Street – Lake of the Lord, in Guarani. Ypacaraí is a lake near Asunción, the capital of Paraguay.