Filadelfia

A charming aspect of Latin America is encountering ethnic enclaves, that often blend with Hispanic culture. One of the most fascinating is the Mennonite community in Paraguay, of which Filadelfia is the center. The German speaking (Plattdeutsch) Mennonites moved from western Russia to escape persecution by Stalin in the 1920s, some settled in Canada, and most went to Paraguay, which welcomed them. They were given land in the dry and hot Chaco, allowed to keep their language and schools, and not required to serve in the military. They have made the Chaco bloom, so much so that they make dairy products for Paraguay. Paul Von Hindenburg, the German field marshal and later President of the Weimar Republic, assisted them in settling in Paraguay. The main avenue in Filadelfia is von Hindenburg.

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