Our story

We are a Mennonite family. Those who came to Paraguay founded, together with other families, a colony on new land; among the founders of Friesland were Helena and Johann Matthies. Four generations later we are still on the land, and today we help others make the same journey.

1930
Abraham and Ana Derksen arrive in the Chaco with the first wave of Mennonite settlers.
1937
The Friesland Colony is founded in San Pedro. The Matthies family is among its founders.
Today
Mariela Matthies, fourth generation, welcomes those who arrive.

From the family album

Old sepia photo: a man in a suit and a woman talk, seated at a table in a garden. — Family photo, in sepia

Family photo from the 1970s: two women and two men pose outdoors in front of a hedge. — Family album · 1970s

Family photo from the 1970s: three generations pose outdoors; the elders seated, with two small children in front. — Three generations · 1970s

Portrait of Mariela Matthies in a black jacket and red blouse, arms crossed.

The family today

Aron and Katharina Matthies worked the land in Friesland, with crops and cattle. Johann and Edita Matthies followed. Today Mariela Matthies, the eldest of five siblings and the fourth generation, welcomes those who come to Paraguay as her family once did.

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