Acá Carayá Cavalry
Acá Carayá Cavalry
Acá Carayá Cavalry, a famed escort regiment of the Paraguayan army. Established by Francisco Solano López in the period just prior to the War of the Triple Alliance (1864–1870), the Acá Carayá saw service in that conflict as a presidential guard unit and, later, as a shock force against the Brazilians. The regiment was distinguished by colorful uniforms and metal helmets adorned with the tails of howler monkeys (from which the unit earned its Guaraní appellation, meaning "monkey heads"). The Acá Carayá saw renewed service during the Chaco War (1932–1935) with Bolivia. The regiment remains a featured attraction of military parades during Independence Day and other national holidays in Paraguay.
See alsoChaco War; War of the Triple Alliance.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Leandro Aponte B., Hombres, armas y batallas (1971).
Charles Kolinski, Historical Dictionary of Paraguay (1973), p. 2.
Additional Bibliography
Bethell, Leslie. The Paraguayan War (1864–1870). London: Institute of Latin American Studies, 1996.
Leuchars, Chris. To the Bitter End: Paraguay and the War of the Triple Alliance. Westport: Greenwood Press, 2002.
Marco, Miguel Angel de. La guerra del Paraguay. Buenos Aires: Planeta, 1995.
Whigham, Thomas. The Paraguayan War. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2002.
Thomas L. Whigham