Lighthouses of Paraguay

The Republic of Paraguay is a landlocked country of central South America, southeast of Bolivia and between northern Argentina and southern Brazil. The Paraná River flows along the southeastern border of Paraguay and the Paraguay River flows through the center, joining the Paraná at the southern tip of the country. The rivers give Paraguay access to the sea through the Río de la Plata between Uruguay and Argentina.

The Spanish word for a lighthouse is faro; smaller lighthouses are often called balizas (beacons). In Spanish isla is an island, río is a river, and puerto is a port or harbor.

Navigational aids along the rivers, mostly buoys with some small beacons, are maintained by the Administración Nacional de Navigacíon y Puertos (APPN).

ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights.

General Sources
Navionics Charts
Navigational chart information for Paraguay.


Castillo El Peñon Light, Villa Hayes
Crónica photo by Fernando Riveros

Lighthouse
Castillo El Peñon
1930s. Inactive. Round concrete tower atop a small cottage wrapped around an isolated rock in the Río Paraguay. A photo by Fernando Riveros is above, Marián Vašš has a 2023 photo, and Google has a satellite view. All sources agree that this structure was built by Navy Capt. Lázaro Aranda; there's less agreement on exactly when and why he did so. The tower originally carried a light and there are reports that it was still active at least as late as the 1960s, but Navionics does not chart it as a light today. Located in a bend of the Río Paraguay on the east side of Villa Hayes, about 32 km (20 mi) northeast of the national capital Asunción. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. . ARLHS PAR-001.

Notable faux lighthouses:

Adjoining pages: Northwest: Bolivia | East: Southern Brazil | South: Northern Argentina

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Created June 9, 2021. Checked and revised June 21, 2023. Lighthouses: 1. Site copyright 2023 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.