The historic house of Serafina Dávalos, located in downtown Asunción on Luis Alberto de Herrera Street near Estados Unidos, is in an advanced state of deterioration and at risk of collapse. The property, declared a National Cultural Heritage Asset by the National Secretariat of Culture in 2021, belongs to the Social Insurance Institute (IPS), which has not carried out proper maintenance.
On Tuesday, representatives from the Documentation and Studies Center (CDE) and 13 other civil society organizations, accompanied by Gabriela Dávalos, the pioneer's great-grandniece, delivered a formal note and a dossier of signatures to the president of IPS. The mobilization comes after the property was looted — thieves removed iron, wood, and glass details to sell as scrap.
“She was very fond of architecture, and the house was full of rich details with metal, frames, wood, and glass. Today little or nothing remains because they steal the iron to sell,” lamented Gabriela Dávalos.
The restoration project proposes shared responsibility among IPS, the Office of the First Lady, the National Secretariat of Culture, the Ministry of Public Works (MOPC), and the Ministry of Women. The goal is to transform the site into a safe space for art, culture, a library, and a women's shelter.
Last week, the Chamber of Deputies approved a resolution project declaring the recovery, preservation, and valorization of the historic house a matter of national interest, pressuring the pension institute to preserve its own heritage.
Serafina Dávalos was Paraguay's first female lawyer and a pioneer in the fight for women's civil and political rights.