Tevego
Encyclopedia
Tevego was a settlement and eventual penal colony
in Paraguay
between 1813 and 1823. It was repopulated in 1843, but then abandoned. It was also known as Tebego, Etevego or Estevegó.
in 1813 as a colony for mulattoes to defend the inhospitable northern borders of Paraguay. It came under constant attack from Guaycurú indians, and the garrison and their families were moved to nearby settlements. From then on it became a prison camp, mostly for vagrant and petty criminal mulattoes who willingly volunteered for hard labour to shorten their sentences. However, as attacks became more frequent, Tevego was finally evacuated by de Francia, its inmates deported to prisons in the nearby city of Concepción
.
The Scottish
writer and merchant John Parish Robertson, who lived in Paraguay and worked closely with de Francia
, mentions in his book Francia's Reign of Terror, Being the Continuation of Letters On Paraguay, that Tevego
"is a place, of the atmosphere is one great mass of malaria
, and the heat suffocating, - where the surrounding country is uninterrupted marsh - where venomous insects and reptiles abound , - and where the fiercest and yet unsubdued tribes of Indians are making continual in-roads. No huts but those constructed in the boughs of trees, or by a few hides and mats, are to be seen; no provisions are to be obtained but those from the Portuguese
, or the chase; and no protection is to be afforded but that of a small guard of militia, to awe and tyrannise of the colonists. Many would prefer confinement in the public prison to banishment to Tevego."
In 1843, three years after de Francia's death, Tevego was re-inhabited by orders of Carlos Antonio Lopez, Paraguay's new president, this time renamed Villa del Divino Salvador (Village of the Divine Savior), later shortened to San Salvador. Still unsuccessful, the settlement was destroyed by the Brazilians during the War of the Triple Alliance
, its inhabitants fleeing.
.
’s novel I, the Supreme
. He keeps mentioning a phenomenon called the stones of Tevego, which is later to be revealed that Tevego was evacuated because it’s inhabitants turned to stone.
Penal colony
A penal colony is a settlement used to exile prisoners and separate them from the general populace by placing them in a remote location, often an island or distant colonial territory...
in Paraguay
Paraguay
Paraguay , officially the Republic of Paraguay , is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the center of the...
between 1813 and 1823. It was repopulated in 1843, but then abandoned. It was also known as Tebego, Etevego or Estevegó.
History
Tevego was founded by order of Jose Gaspar Rodriguez de FranciaJosé Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia
200px|right|thumb|José Gaspar Rodríguez de FranciaDr. José Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia y Velasco was the first leader of Paraguay following its independence from Spain...
in 1813 as a colony for mulattoes to defend the inhospitable northern borders of Paraguay. It came under constant attack from Guaycurú indians, and the garrison and their families were moved to nearby settlements. From then on it became a prison camp, mostly for vagrant and petty criminal mulattoes who willingly volunteered for hard labour to shorten their sentences. However, as attacks became more frequent, Tevego was finally evacuated by de Francia, its inmates deported to prisons in the nearby city of Concepción
Concepción, Paraguay
- Sources :* – World-Gazetteer.com...
.
The Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
writer and merchant John Parish Robertson, who lived in Paraguay and worked closely with de Francia
José Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia
200px|right|thumb|José Gaspar Rodríguez de FranciaDr. José Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia y Velasco was the first leader of Paraguay following its independence from Spain...
, mentions in his book Francia's Reign of Terror, Being the Continuation of Letters On Paraguay, that Tevego
"is a place, of the atmosphere is one great mass of malaria
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
, and the heat suffocating, - where the surrounding country is uninterrupted marsh - where venomous insects and reptiles abound , - and where the fiercest and yet unsubdued tribes of Indians are making continual in-roads. No huts but those constructed in the boughs of trees, or by a few hides and mats, are to be seen; no provisions are to be obtained but those from the Portuguese
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, or the chase; and no protection is to be afforded but that of a small guard of militia, to awe and tyrannise of the colonists. Many would prefer confinement in the public prison to banishment to Tevego."
In 1843, three years after de Francia's death, Tevego was re-inhabited by orders of Carlos Antonio Lopez, Paraguay's new president, this time renamed Villa del Divino Salvador (Village of the Divine Savior), later shortened to San Salvador. Still unsuccessful, the settlement was destroyed by the Brazilians during the War of the Triple Alliance
War of the Triple Alliance
The Paraguayan War , also known as War of the Triple Alliance , was a military conflict in South America fought from 1864 to 1870 between Paraguay and the Triple Alliance of Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay...
, its inhabitants fleeing.
Location
There is no exact record of the location of Tevego, but according to a map dated 1860, Tevego was situated on the Argentine border, close to the Bolivian border, roughly 70 miles southwest from San IgnacioSan Ignacio, Paraguay
San Ignacio, also known as San Ignacio Guazú, is a city and district in the Misiones Department of Paraguay, located from Asunción. It is the second-largest district in area and the largest in population , of Misiones' ten districts.-Geography:The urban area of the district is located right in...
.
Literary references
Tevego is mentioned frequently by the character of de Francia in Augusto Roa BastosAugusto Roa Bastos
Augusto Roa Bastos, was a noted Paraguayan novelist and short story writer, and one of the most important Latin American writers of the 20th century. As a teenager he fought in the Chaco War between Paraguay and Bolivia, and he later worked as a journalist, screenwriter and professor...
’s novel I, the Supreme
I, the Supreme
I, the Supreme is a historical novel written by exiled Paraguayan author Augusto Roa Bastos. It is a fictionalized account of the nineteenth-century Paraguayan dictator José Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia, who was also known as "Dr...
. He keeps mentioning a phenomenon called the stones of Tevego, which is later to be revealed that Tevego was evacuated because it’s inhabitants turned to stone.