Ready for a snack? Round the corner and walk one block farther down Mariscal Lopez. Take a right at Vice Presidente Sanchez and walk two blocks to Confiteria Honey (corner of 25 de Mayo and Vice Presidente Sanchez) for a deliciously rich slice of cake or an excellent empanada. Return to Mariscal Lopez and catch Linea 15-1, 12, 26, 56, 28, or 31 to the Cementerio Recoleta cemetery (intersection of Mariscal Lopez and Choferes del Chaco). Ask the bus driver to drop you off at “ la Recoleta.” The ride lasts approximately 15 minutes and you will pass the large white presidential residence on the right-hand side (Mariscal Lopez and Kubitschek) known by all as Mburuvicha Roga. It means ”The Boss’ House” in Guarani. Inside the cemetery, take a stroll around the mausoleums of the city’s elite families, each decorated to their own personal tastes.
If you are interested in purchasing handicrafts, exit the cemetery through the side exit to the east (away from downtown). Walk through the residential Recoleta neighborhood down the cobblestone Quesada street for seven blocks until you reach Shopping Mariscal Lopez. Pombero and Catedral offer nice ao po i clothing options (the latter younger and more modern), and the stands in Villa Morra also have a good selection. If you’d rather buy products directly from artisans, stop by the IPA tent (Instituto Paraguayo de Artesania) set up in the plaza diagonally opposite Shopping Mariscal
Lopez for a wide selection of artesamas that are very representative of Paraguay’s handicrafts.
From here, you can continue on to one of two excellent museums – the Museo Boggiani, in San Lorenzo, dedicated to Paraguay’s indigenous communities, or the larger Museo del Barro, in the Shopping del Sol neighborhood, with extensive displays of Paraguayan contemporary, indigenous, and folk art.
To get to the Museo Boggiani (Tue-Fri 9am-6pm, Sat 9am-12pm and 3pm-6pm) take the 56 to San Lorenzo, and ask to be let off at San Lorenzo’s main plaza (approximately a 30-minute ride). Located on Coronel Bogado street, the museum is easy to miss – be on the lookout for the small sandstone sign embedded into the building’s wall. Be sure to visit the museum’s gift shop across the street, showcasing a large variety of indigenous crafts updated monthly.
To get to the Museo del Barro (Wed-Fri 3:30pm-8pm, Sat 9:30am-12pm and 2:30pm-8pm) take bus 28 past the upscale Shopping del Sol. Directly across from the mall is the former home of Alfredo Stroessner’s mistress, Maria Estela Legal, better known as “Nata Legal.” She began her relationship with Stroessner at age 15. He was dining with her at this very house when the coup that ousted him took place. After two long blocks, get off the bus at the corner of Aviadores del Chaco and Canada (there will be a large Philip Morris building to the left). Take a right and then a left and walk half way down the block to the museum entrance.
In order to return to Villa Morra/Recoleta or downtown, cross Aviadores del Chaco and catch Linea 16 or the 28 bus. For a well-deserved break, get off at the corner of Avenida San Martin and Andrade and enjoy a heaping cone of Italian style gelato from Quattro D.
To return downtown, travel along Avenida Espana on Linea 30A (with sign “ XEspana”) 37C, or 44. Stop for a bite to eat or a drink at one of the many restaurants and bars along Avenida Espana around Paseo Las Carmelitas. As you continue towards downtown Asuncion, you will pass the spot on Espana between America and Venezuela where Nicaraguan dictator, Anastasio Somoza, was assassinated by bazooka fire in broad daylight in 1981.
