cities in south america. asuncion, the capital of a nation built on immigration. paraguay lost half its population during the triple alliance war of 1864, fighting against brazil, uruguay and argentina, and opened its doors to immigrants from all over the world as it tried to repair. in the early 1900s, almost 400km south of the capital, a handful of german families, led by a man named wilhelm closs, began to build the united colonies, and thousands more would follow. germans escaping nazis during the second world war fled to the united colonies, and ironically, nazis themselves fleeing justice back home would find sanctuary here too. since then, there's been a steady stream of immigration — untiljune 2021, when suddenly the numbers began to accelerate.