Mangoré's legacy echoes as San Juan Bautista hosts historic international guitar festival

San Juan Bautista, the capital of Misiones province and birthplace of the renowned classical guitarist Agustín Pío Barrios, known as "Mangoré," recently celebrated its inaugural International Guitar Festival. The two-day event, held in the city that inspired the maestro, transformed it into a global music hub. The festival successfully brought together prominent national and international guitarists to pay tribute to Barrios' enduring work.

Oscar Bogado, one of the festival's organizers, described the first edition as a resounding success. He explained that the primary goal was to gather elite guitarists from around the world in San Juan Bautista. Beyond the musical performances, the festival aimed to expose attendees to Paraguayan culture, traditions, and the city itself, functioning as a community event that showcases the country's diverse facets. Bogado noted that while the first edition presented challenges, organizers were pleased with the quality of concerts, audience response, and parallel activities, which included tours of local museums and culinary experiences.

The festival is planned to become an annual event, with organizers aiming for a fixed date during the last week of winter school holidays. This timing is intended to make the festival easily identifiable for the public, similar to the established Festival del Batiburrillo. The event featured performances by artists such as the Mbaraka Trío, comprising Rodrigo Benítez, José Carlos Cabrera, and Favio Rodríguez, and included a portrayal of Mangoré by Willian Pérez during Javier Acost's presentation.

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The intention was to organize a festival here, in San Juan Bautista, so that the most renowned, the elite of guitarists worldwide, would gather in this city. We also sought for them to know our culture, our traditions, and the city itself. That is, it is not just a guitar festival, but a community activity that also seeks to showcase our country in its different facets.