Iguazu Travel Guide: History

The first peoples to inhabit the lower Amazon are thought to be the Humaitá and Umbú hunter gatherer tribes who came from the north. These groups were incorporated by the Tupí-Guaraní between around 4000BC and 2500BC. The Tupí-Guaraní became dominant in central South America, developing agriculture and expanding before diversifying into a number of different ethnic groups.
It was the Guaraní people who were the principal group in the Misiones area at the first point of European contact; the Spanish explorer Álavar Nuñez Cabeza de Vaca was the first European to set eyes on what is now called the Iguazu Falls in 1551. He first noticed the thundering noise of the falls from kilometers away and soon followed the noise to discover its magnificent source.

European development in the area did not come until much later after this initial exploration and the Guaraní remained dominant in the area with the occasional visit from Jesuit missionaries throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, most of who were met with a violent reception. This period inspired the popular 1986 movie “The Mission” with Robert De Niro and Jeremy Irons.

Into the 19th century, a series of wars were fought by an alliance of Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay against the newly formed state of Paraguay, who had declared independence from Buenos Aires in 1811. This was in order to repel Paraguayan attempts to gain control of a route to the Atlantic through the region. With heavy loss of life, Paraguay was finally defeated by the Triple alliance in 1864 and in the 1876 Treaty of Argentina Peace the country vowed never to attempt occupation of Misiones again. The territory south of the falls – including the site of Puerto Iguazu - was given to Argentina while the north was given to Brazil.

In 1881 – after the region had opened up to settlement and immigration - several investors became interested in the natural resources of Corrientes and Misiones. The site of Puerto Iguazu changed ownership on three occasions in just 2 years. At the same time, further exploration and scientific expeditions up the impenetrable Iguazu River were made. The first tourists were also to accompany such expeditions at the end of the 1800’s.

In 1901 a permanent settlement was founded and was named Puerto Aguirre, which would later become Puerto Iguazu. The economy of the area flourished, including the tourist economy, paved by a roadway to the falls which was funded by Victoria Aguirre. In 1906 the first hotel was constructed and several social services were subsequently established in the town, including a police station, postal and communications services and a school.

The Iguazu National Park was developed in the 1930’s and 1940’s and was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1984. Closely following this, Argentina and Brazil were united by road for the first time in 1985 with the unveiling of the Tancredo Neves International Bridge which was the first to cross the river-border between the two countries.