Iglesia Virgen de la Candelaria

The white-painted parish church of Areguá sits on a low hill at the top of the cobbled main street, with one of the cleanest views in the country: down the slope, across the rooftops, out over the water of Lake Ypacaraí. The interior is plain Latin American baroque — gilded altar, painted ceiling, dark wooden pews.

The church grounds are open during daylight hours. Climbing the steps from the lakefront takes about ten minutes and the view alone justifies the walk. Sundown is a particularly good time.

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A story
The church was built between 1862 and 1911, its construction interrupted by the catastrophic War of the Triple Alliance that almost destroyed Paraguay. The unusual fact that the building survived intact during the war — Areguá was occupied by Brazilian forces — is one reason it became the symbolic heart of the town.