Don Plácido Jara

Don Plácido Jara (1884 - March 4, 1952) was a guerrilla fighter, Paraguayan fighter in the Chaco War, and founder of the Macheteros de Jara.

He was born in Pirayú in 1884. He entered the Army and reached the rank of major. His father was an ex-combatant from Lomas Valentinas and his grandfather fought in the Paraguayan War. Don Plácido Jara was a mixture of a feudal lord, guerrilla, arandu ka'aty, arandu kuatia, and patriot. He settled in Itanarâ, Alto Paraná (today Canindeyú Department). There he owned land, plantations, and men. He also had a library in the mountains.

Every time an armed uprising began, Plácido and his people were involved. He was a liberal, but his ranks enlisted a collection of individuals with differing ideologies. He participated in the revolutions of 1904, 1912, and 1922. He went into exile in Brazil and Argentina. In the pre-war period with Bolivia, by order of the Government, he carried out espionage missions, and during the Chaco War, he commanded a group of combatants, identified as "Los Macheteros de la Muerte." Using their knowledge of the geography of Chaco, he was able to strike the enemy by going behind enemy lines without being seen and taking advantage of terrain that only "Los Macheteros" knew about.

He presented a plan to cut off the only way out of the Bolivian PC located in Muñoz (now General Díaz). This plan would have avoided the issues with the Altiplano Army - who were prominent in the Pilcomayo sector and the Central Chaco. If his strategy had been applied, the war may have been shortened. However, his plan was dismissed. He was subject to inquiries (including accusations of cattle rustling), which led him to flee into exile in Argentina, where he dedicated himself to cattle ranching and retired to live in the Formosa Province of Las Lomitas. He died on March 4, 1952, and his remains are laid to rest in Formosa.