For a time, Asunción was an important city to the Spanish colonial administration. It was an easier sail from Spain: across the Atlantic, up the Río de la Plata, hop over to the Río Paraguay and use the growing port as a staging area to the rest of the South American heartland.
Now, the city draws visitors to the tropical climate, the friendliness of the Azuceños, and the gateway to the Gran Chaco.