Fortín Boquerón

Fortín Boquerón

Historic site of the Chaco War

Mariscal José Félix Estigarribia, Boquerón

Fortín Boquerón is the main historical-military site in the Paraguayan Chaco. Founded on July 19, 1928, as a military outpost by Major Félix Cabrera, 1st Lieutenant Eugenio Ayala Velázquez, and Cavalry Captain Tranquilino Ortiz, it gained national significance through the Battle of Boquerón, one of the central episodes of the Chaco War (1932-1935) between Paraguay and Bolivia. The fort was taken by Bolivian troops on July 31, 1932; after a twenty-day siege (September 9-29, 1932), the Paraguayan army recovered the position on September 29, a date now commemorated as a national milestone.

Today a free field museum operates on the site, displaying weapons, documents, maps, and period photographs. The tour includes the trench lines encircling the fort, the Paraguayan and Bolivian cemeteries, and notable pieces such as a Potez 25 TOE aircraft used by the Paraguayan air force and a truck from the war era.

It is located in the Boquerón District, Boquerón department (Western Region), near Colonia Neuland, about 46 km from the Gran Chaco Americano Interpretation Center in Filadelfia, allowing both sites to be combined in a single Central Chaco excursion.