La Pastora

La Pastora is a municipality on the western edge of Caaguazú department, about 38 km from Coronel Oviedo and 160 km from Asunción, founded as a district in 1990. The community traces to a ranching and forestry estate established around 1900 by Marcos Riera, who named it after his mother, Pastora; workers from the Ganadera Riera cattle operation settled the surrounding land into smallholdings starting in the 1950s. Historically known for petit grain essence, banana, pineapple, tobacco, and cotton production, the area has more recently shifted toward large-scale sugarcane farming, spurred by an ethanol plant in neighboring Carayaó. Caaguazú National Park, a protected remnant of Upper Paraná Atlantic Forest established in 1973, lies within the department.

By Plane

Nearest airport is Silvio Pettirossi International Airport (ASU) in Asunción.

By Car / Road

La Pastora is about 38 km from Coronel Oviedo, the departmental capital.

Walkable.

• Rural Caaguazú – Soy and cattle landscape.

Local shops.

Basic supplies.

• Coronel Oviedo – department capital.
• Caaguazú National Park – protected Atlantic Forest remnant within the department.
• Nueva Londres – neighboring agricultural settlement.