History of Paraguay (to 1811) Buenos Aires in 1580, the steady deterioration in the importance of Asunción contributed to growing political instability within the province. In 1617 the Río de la Plata Province was divided into two smaller provinces: Paraguay, with Asunción as its capital, and Río de la Plata, with headquarters in Buenos Aires. With this action, Asunción lost control of the Río de la Plata estuary and became dependent on Buenos Aires for maritime shipping. In 1776 the crown created the Viceroyalty of Río de la Plata; Paraguay, which had been subordinate to Lima, now became an outpost of Buenos Aires. Located at
San Juan Bautista, Paraguay Mangoré, today a museum and a cultural center, is frequented by tourists. Other interesting locations in the vicinity are: Beyond San Juan Bautista, an unpaved road goes to Santa María. Another road also goes to Route 4th and to Pilar in Ñeembucú. Agustín Pío Barrios (Mangoré) was born in San Juan Misiones. He was a famous Paraguayan guitarist. The current governor is Victor H. Pereira. San Juan Bautista, Paraguay San Juan Bautista (), capital of the Department of Misiones, Paraguay, is considered the cradle of the religious mission culture. The city is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of