Visit Paraguay Hecho a Mano at its new headquarters -- Del Lago Living Museum and Cultural Center -- located in San Bernardino, Paraguay on the shores of the famous Lake Ypacarai!
Thanks to the assistance of Memoria Activa, S.A., and its new Del Lago Hotel - Living Museum and Cultural Center, Paraguay Hecho a Mano USA, Inc. and Paraguay Hecho a Mano Paraguay now have a home base – and so do our artisans!
What is the Del Lago Living Museum
and Cultural Center?
Del Lago Living Museum and Cultural Center is
located in and on the grounds the former
Hotel del Lago,
built in 1888 in San Bernardino,
Paraguay
by the Weiler family.
In the 1880s, San Bernardino was founded
by five German immigrant families
In a few
years, the town became
a booming
resort community for
residents of Asuncion
, Paraguay´s
capital city. Recognizing this
opportunity,
the Weiler family built Hotel del Lago
in 1888 on the shores of the famous
Lake Ypacarai
is a place for rest,
relaxation and renewal.
Through the years, people stayed at this gracious hotel,
enjoying
the
tranquil ambiance and outstanding services of the
restaurant and
spacious rooms, opening their doors to sit and view
the gardens and the
lake from the huge terrace.
Word spread about Hotel del Lago. Soon many people from Buenos Aires,
Argentina; Montevideo, Uruguay; as well as Asuncion, Paraguay and many other
South American cities came to spend their honeymoons at Hotel del Lago. In the
Paraguayan summer, the hotel served as a home base to families from Asuncion, allowing them to relax, swim and sun on the hotel grounds and the lake park.
Over the past few years, the gracious old Victorian lady – the Hotel del Lago – needed some assistance to restore her to her former glory.
And so now, the Del Lago Living Museum and Cultural Center has been created, under the direction of Memoria Activa, S. A. The Hotel del Lago is now being transformed and restored to its former glory so people from around the world can experience again its beauty, tranquillity and grace.
The Del Lago Living Museum and Cultural Center will reopen
at the end of September, 2006, when people who love this historic paradise will once again come to enjoy the ambiance of this grand old lady.
How will Del Lago Living Museum and Cultural Center help Paraguayan Artisans?
The Del Lago Living Museum and Cultural Center is providing space for the world headquarters of Paraguay Hecho a Mano, USA, Inc. a registered 501 c 3 non-profit organization in the United States, and for Paraguay Hecho a Mano Paraguay, a non-governmental organization.(PHAM).
In addition, the Center will provide space for meetings and cultural activities for PHAM and its indigenous artisans.
The Del Lago Living Museum and Cultural Center will allow PHAM to hold workshops and classes for artisans. The Center will also provide space for a special shop for the handicrafts of PHAM artisans.
In addition, the Del Lago Living Museum and Cultural Center will construct the Tava Guarani Artisan Village on its grounds. This facility will provide space for each community of indigenous Paraguayan artisans to have a small workshop where they can demonstrate and prepare their handicrafts as well as sell them to the thousands of tourists who visit the shores of Lake Ypacaari every year.
In addition, the Center will provide space for meetings and cultural activities for PHAM and its indigenous artisans.