Foz do Iguaçu, 1924: stroll through the city a century ago

Since the beginning of the month, the portal H2FOZ is publishing a series of special content about the 110 years of the municipality of Foz do Iguaçu (click here to check out everything that has already aired).

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Foz do Iguaçu, 1924: stroll through the city a century ago

Today's proposal is more playful: can you imagine a walk through the city of a century ago, which had just celebrated its tenth anniversary of emancipation? Take some time to read and embark with us on this journey to the past.

By boat

Let’s start with the route to the border. Let’s say you’re in the capital of Paraná, Curitiba, in June 1924. Like most travelers, you’ll rule out overland travel, as the route to the West is muddy and inhabited by mosquitoes and “wild animals.”

The most conventional and comfortable option is to go down the Serra do Mar and take a boat to Buenos Aires. In the modern Argentine capital, you will change boats and travel up the Paraná River towards Corrientes, Posadas and the meeting point between Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil.

In your travel diary, you will make several notes, such as the celebration of the boat's arrival at each port, the rafts with huge logs of wood going down the Paranazão and the reactions of your boatmates, who will marvel at the deforested parts of the ravine (“progress”) and despise the leagues and leagues of forests still standing.

Arrival at the mouth of the Iguaçu River will occur after days and nights of shaking along the inhospitable route of the Paraná River, considered dangerous by many navigators due to its isolation.

After many stops in Argentina (and some in Paraguay), you will say goodbye to the crew and the few travelers who will remain on the boat, to disembark at the first stop in Brazilian territory, in the village called Foz do Iguassú.

Just as in previous ports, men, women and children will come to see the arrival of the vessel, looking for orders and news from Posadas and Buenos Aires. You will notice that, despite already being in Brazil, the language and currency will remain the same: Spanish and the great-grandfather of today's Argentine peso.

Arrival

Climbing the banks of the Paraná River with your luggage will not be easy, but you will gladly pay for a cart to take you to the upper part. From the port, the little you will see of the city is a military installation used by the Navy.

As the carriage climbs the embankment, the driver will inform you, in a strong Paraguayan accent, that you are “in luck”: there are vacancies at the Hotel Brasil, owned by Mr. Frederico Engel, which has been used by famous names such as the inventor Alberto Santos Dumont.

Otherwise, forget the current references: Foz do Iguaçu in 1924 is a simple town, with no more than a hundred houses, dirt roads, many children and a beautiful church under construction, almost finished (if you stay until June 24, you will have the chance to attend the inaugural mass).

The city's life revolves around a wider road (current Avenida Brasil), in the lower reaches of which a river (Monjolo) runs. Remember: amenities such as running water and electricity were not yet available in the then brand new “Wild West”.

Opened in 1915, the Hotel Brasil, like practically everything in the city, is made of wood. The owner will tell you with a smile that there is a branch, the “Hotel Brasil nos Saltos”, which you will certainly use when you go to the “Saltos do Rio Iguassú”. “They are very beautiful”, the hotelier will recommend.

historical figures

Visiting the Falls in their “raw state” is an undeniable attraction. Your initial goal, however, will be to meet the people who inhabited Foz do Iguaçu a century ago (the same people who, today, give their names to the city’s streets and avenues).

In 1924, politics was undergoing a transition between the first mayor, Jorge Schimmelpfeng, and his successor, Jorge Sanwais, then president of the Chamber. Busy with land, timber and yerba mate businesses, both will not have much time to receive outsiders, but you can try to make an appointment.

Also busy, but with special pleasure in “chatting” with visitors, Monsignor Guilherme will do the honors of the house between one rush and another for the inauguration of the São João Batista Church (whose original building would be destroyed by a fire in 1925).

The “camaristas” (name given to the then councilors) Othon Maeder and Fulgêncio Pereira will also be useful references, as well as the wives of many of the city's noble gentlemen, whose names, in most cases, have not reached our times.

If authorized to speak, young Otilia Schimmelpfeng, daughter of Mayor Jorge, will be able to give valuable accounts, recalling, among other stories, the ball for the centenary of Brazil's Independence, which brought together the population at the “Hotel Brasil nos Saltos” in 1922.

In the not-too-distant future, Foz do Iguaçu will be occupied by the revolutionaries of the future Prestes Column, whose formation will take place in the city in 1925. The residents of the peaceful Foz do Iguassú, however, still don't know this (and don't even think about telling them).

Visit to the Falls

Arrange a carriage with Mr. Frederico Engel to make the six-hour journey between the city and the Iguassú Falls. Recently opened, the route is marked by fascinating landscapes, such as bamboo groves and pools of water covered in butterflies.

The pioneers of tourism in Iguaçu will talk about the need to improve the road, expand the hotel and bring more boats to the border, even expressing a certain envy towards their Argentine neighbors, whose hotel is already more advanced.

As you head towards the Falls, you will hear the roar of the falls from afar. The structure at your disposal will be rustic (and unsafe by today's standards), with steps carved into the rock and a walk between the rocks along the banks of the Iguaçu River.

Difficult? Certainly. But think that, apart from the people who will accompany you to make sure you don't get lost, there will be no other tourists, no noise other than that of nature itself at the Falls. The experience will be transformative.

Wise Bertoni

Before leaving Foz do Iguaçu in 1924, ask about a Swiss man who lives on the banks of the Paraná River, on the Paraguayan side, but who comes to the city every now and then to sell bananas and other fruits from his fertile orchard.

The Swiss scientist is Moisés Bertoni, also called Sábio Bertoni by the locals. With a bit of luck, you will be able to visit him in his mansion on the Paranazão bend, just after the mouth of the Monday River.

Bertoni will be able to show one of his treasures, the first printing press on the border, and talk about innovations such as the calendar that will indicate to farmers, for decades (with reasonable precision), the most likely days for rain in the region.

Bags packed

I don't know what the weather will be like, but I would take advantage of the excursion to the past to go up the Paraná River to Guaíra and visit the Seven Falls of the Paraná River, which will be submerged to form the Itaipu lake in 1982.

If you decide to retrace your steps and return via Buenos Aires, don't forget to write down everything you saw on the trip, as memory can be tricky.

As you leave behind the Foz do Iguaçu of 1924, be sure that that dusty city, practically isolated from the rest of the Brazilian territory, will have a bright future ahead of it, which we will be talking about in the distant year of 2024.