About Presidente Hayes

Presidente Hayes is the southernmost department of Paraguay's Región Occidental (Chaco), with its capital at Villa Hayes. The name honors United States President Rutherford B. Hayes, whose 1878 arbitration ruling awarded this Chaco territory to Paraguay in a dispute with Argentina. Extensive cattle ranching is the primary economic activity, taking advantage of the vast Chaco plains with their natural grasslands and seasonal water bodies. Villa Hayes, situated across from Asunción on the western bank of the Paraguay River, is the departmental capital closest to the national capital and serves as the gateway to the Paraguayan Chaco. The Chaco is defined by an extreme climate: high temperatures, pronounced seasonal rains, and alternating cycles of flooding and drought that shape all productive activity in the region.

• Historic and cultural center
• High connectivity
• Mixed residential-commercial use
• Architectural heritage