Francisco Gaona, his invaluable example

Abstract

Francisco Gaona, considered the creator of the Social History of Paraguay, was a prominent trade union activist and documentarian in the early 20th century. From his youth as a rural teacher until his death in exile in 1980, he dedicated his life to trade union activism and the meticulous documentation of the Paraguayan labour movement. He actively participated in the trade union struggles of his time, confronting both the government and revisionist tendencies in history. His greatest legacy is the Gaona Archive, a vast collection of trade union documents, and his work ‘Social and Trade Union History of Paraguay,’ published in three volumes. Currently, there is an urgent need to digitise this valuable archive to preserve this crucial part of Paraguayan history.