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IGUAZÚ
Great Water
The name Iguazú can be traced back to the native Guarani words “y” and “ûasú”, meaning “great water”. And for good reason. The Iguazú Falls is currently the largest waterfall system in the world. Its sheer expanse is a sight to behold, dwarfing other famed waterfalls like Victoria and Niagara.
According to local folklore, the serpent deity planned to marry a beautiful woman named Naipí, who fled with her mortal lover Tarobá in a canoe. In a rage, the deity sliced the river, creating the waterfalls and condemning the lovers to an internal fall.
In modern times, most of the river’s course runs through modern day Brazil, while most of the falls can be found in Argentina. In millennia past, Iguazú was once the life force of the native Guarani peoples, nourishing the surrounding lands and opening natural trade routes, enabling for ideas to be exchanged and civilization to thrive. It was against the backdrop of the Iguazú waterfalls that the Guarani were able to harvest the freshest caña and share their rum-making secrets with their Jesuit counterparts.
