On the dusty Essential Road of a small ranching city, in the course of Paraguay's countless Chaco territory, a group of one-room museums tells one of many typically ignored tales of an already ignored nation: the story of Paraguay's Mennonites.
Many arrived within the Nineteen Twenties and 30s after fleeing the anti-religious laws of the newly shaped USSR, the refugees discovered a sizzling, dry panorama filled with swamps and unfamiliar beings. Many had lately fled via Siberian winters to China and nonetheless carried their thick winter coats and hats. They had been adaptable, nonetheless—their ancestors had already fled Germany to Russia within the years of Catherine the Nice.
Quickly they had constructed three collectives: Neuland, Menno and Fernheim (of which Filadelfia is the biggest city). Through the years they expanded from farming and ranching to varied forms of business, although agriculture remained the lifeblood of the group.
At the moment, German-speaking Mennonites solely make up a few quarter of Filadelfia's inhabitants, however their historical past and tradition has left its mark, from the extensive, grid-like streets, to the Mennonite dishes served within the Lodge Florida throughout the road from the museum.
