The landlocked South American nation of Paraguay is seldom in the news and it is very possibly not one of the more popular countries in philatelic circles despite – or perhaps rather because of – its huge production of pictorial stamps, but the country provides a welcome challenge for collectors willing to work their way through the many designs.
Paraguay has a most interesting history, with the Jesuits playing an important role until they were expelled in 1767. Following independence from Spain in 1811, a number of colourful but dictatorial presidents led their country in a number of devastating wars. The last one – the Chaco War – lasted from 1932 until 1935. It opposed Paraguay with Bolivia in a conflict involving the Chaco region which was believed to be rich in oil.
Paraguay still has a very large native population known as the Guaraní people. Guaraní along with Spanish are the two official languages, and the national currency is also the Guaraní.
Paraguay issued its very first postage stamps in 1870. New issues were fairly limited until the
