TOBATI: TRADITION AND CHANGE IN A PARAGUAYAN TOWN BY JAMES ESTON HAY A DISSERTATION PRESENTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA 1993 UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA LIBRARIES ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This research was funded by a Fulbright HE Dissertation Fellowship under the U.S. Department of Education, and a Dissertation Fellowship from the Organization of American States. I am most grateful for the support of both institutions in completing the fieldwork necessary for this study. I especially thank Mr. Alan Rogers, United States Information Service in Asuncion, and Sr. Atilio Nieto, special operations officer of the Organization of American States, in the same city, for their personal attention during my stay in Paraguay. During the many years I worked with the Peace Corps and with private business in Paraguay, I made many close friends, met many people, and made contact with many institutions in both the governmental and private sectors. When I returned to Paraguay to embark on the present study, I was grateful that those people were there to greet me and help me in so many ways. I often prevailed upon the kindness and patience of old friends and acquaintances, as much for camaraderie as for assistance in my work. Due to the help of many individuals, I bypassed much of the red tape and bureaucratic "channels" (truly the bane of researchers in Latin American countries) that otherwise would have made life so much more difficult and less pleasurable. I was especially happy to see old friends and colleagues among the Paraguayan staff of the Peace Corps as well as the directors and staff of MONITOR S.A. with whom I worked for four years. At the Peace Corps office, my close friends Ing. Antonio Dacak and (compoblano) Pedro Souza never failed to meet me with ice cold terere and stimulating conversation. Both men are campesinos in fact and in heart and never failed to offer insights into what it is that makes things tick in rural Paraguay. John McClosky, assistant director of the Peace Corps's training center in Aregua, was also a source of not only penetrating observations, but material support as well. At MONITOR, Dr. Alfredo Ratti and Arminda Ramirez remained close friends who were likely to declare any event occasion for an asado, or Paraguayan barbeque, and rally the staff of the organization for a morale booster at propitious times. I was once again welcomed at the Centro Paraguayo de Estudios Sociologies (CPES), a private research institution for social research that fills an enormous gap in Paraguayan studies because of the paucity of government support for sociological studies in the universities. The directors of the institution, Drs. Domingo Rivarola and Graziella Corvalan, both eminent figures in Parauayan studies, generously provided office space, archival access, and practical assistance even as they struggled for scarce resources themselves. There has been a dramatic increase in research, scholarship, and writing among a dynamic group of younger individuals in Paraguay. I noticed, above all, that Paraguayan intellectuals tend to differ from their North American colleagues in that they are very much more committed to praxis, in connecting scholarship with actual experience. These are people who are often difficult to locate in their offices because they are more likely to be far from the in comforts of the city in order to glean essential data at its source— directly from the people. This kind of research may be much more critical for Paraguayans who lack access to the marvelous resources in basic data and comparative material available in other parts of the world, but it is clear that these people are dedicated to the proposition that knowledge is best learned from direct experience rather than digested whole from anonymous sources. Among these people, I especially benefitted from the companionship, generosity, and criticism of Dr. Ramon Fogel, director of a new research and action organization called the Centro de Estudios Rurales Interdisciplinarios. Other interested scholars in the country who were generous with their time included Miguel Chase- Sardi, Daniel Campos, and Oleg Vysokolan, as well as Digno Britez in the social action section of the Comite de Iglesias. There is a close group of Paraguay aficionados and expatriates in this country often referred to as the "Paraguayan Mafia" and there is a small but thriving contingent of that Mafia who transported the terere custom to Gainesville. Without those friends it would have been a much lonelier place for a Paraguayanist, so I would like to thank Jody and Cathy Stallings (who introduced me to Gainesville), Peter Cronkleton, and Jon Dain and Karen Kainer, who all provided an opportunity for me to talk freely about my favorite subject. Other friends of the "Mafia" in Washington, D.C., who provided valuable help during the course of this project included Frank O'Hara (former Director of the Peace Corps in Paraguay), Kate Raftery, Mark Hathaway, and Paul Davis. IV I was certainly no less fortunate in the support and guidance I enjoyed at the University of Florida. The individuals on my graduate committee, chaired by Dr. Maxine Margolis, have always been a source not only of knowledge, but of inspiration. Dr. Margolis has been exceedingly patient throughout the ordeal of writing this dissertation, and without her consistent encouragement, it might never have been completed. Many thanks are due to Drs. Marianne Schmink, Helen Safa, Michael Moseley, Marvin Harris, and Murdo MacLeod for many years of support, guidance, instruction, and criticism. All of these people have convinced me of the value of anthropology as a discipline, and the history of social change in Latin America as a subject. Also, I was exceedingly fortunate to have known Dr. Charles Wagley during his lifetime. It was thanks mainly to his personal encouragement and support that I embarked upon this project, and I join his many students and colleagues in my very fond memories of this great scholar and gentleman. I am no less indebted to all my fellow basement-dwellers, companeros and colleagues in the Anthropology department. Only one's friends and fellows can truly understand and appreciate the high points and low points of a graduate career and dissertation experience. Also, as sources of knowledge and insights they are as valuable as any resource the University has to offer. The list of people who have helped me with their friendship and sympathy during these years is too lengthy to mention each of them by name, but I trust they know who they are and will accept my thanks. I owe an enormous debt of gratitude, however, to Bryan Byrne, a fellow anthropology student who had the dubious luck of living next door to me in Gainesville as I was completing this dissertation. Bryan was exceedingly generous with his time and expertise, especially in terms of data processing. He was endlessly patient with my requests for technical assistance, and also served as a forthright and capable critic of the written work. He and Nathalie Lebon were a constant source of encouragement, but their nearby presence also offered a convenient place of escape when escape was clearly indicated. Upon returning from Paraguay I was fortunate to find work in the Map and Image Library of the University of Florida, surely a congenial place for an anthropologist! Dr. Helen Jane Armstrong, the Map Librarian, and Mil Willis, Archivist, were both extremely helpful in adjusting their own busy schedules to my needs, as well as in acquiring Paraguayan materials for the collection. I would also like to acknowledge the help of Richard Scholz, a student employee in the Map Library, who created the maps for this dissertation. I also received help from the department for Spain, Portugal, and Latin America (SPLAT) of Watson Library, at the University of Kansas. Shelley Miller, the Director of the collection, was always helpful in making the extensive collection of Paraguayan materials at Kansas available to me. Finally, I express my deepest thanks to the great people of the town of Tobati, Paraguay, who welcomed me into their town and into their lives. I admire them and thank them as much for their patience as well as for their helpful friendliness during the nearly eighteen months I was their neighbor. Once again, there are so many people who I remember, and who were so generous with their time, that it would be impossible to name them all. I was welcomed into a group of close friends who drank terere or cold beers at the cope tin of Luis and Mirta Morales de Ramos. The little bar was located directly on the main street and near the church, where we could catch the best view or else get the freshest gossip of everything that happened in town. It was also the best place for heated debates on social issues with my friend Luis Baltazar (Nene) Macchi, for we could get an idea of public consensus from an audience of very vocal participants. Nata Rivarola, Armando Rivarola, and their four wonderful children made me feel like part of their family. Each person in that very engaging family gave me a completely different and candid view of the ups and downs of everyday life in Tobati. I would often leave their house only to stop by and chat with Jose and Angelica Zaracho de Finestra, who were especially sensitive to the civic conscience of the town. Jose's mother and aunt were close friends of the Services's over forty years ago, and they loved to tell me about the Tobati of earlier times.