Below is a timeline of the history of Paraguay: Early colonial period 1516: Conquistador Juan Díaz de Solís leads an unsuccessful expedition to explore the area later known as Paraguay. 1524: Portuguese explorer Aleixo Garcia leads a Guaraní army of 200 across the Gran Chaco. 1526: Navigator Sebastian Cabot sails up the River Paraná and establishes a settlement known as Sancti Spiritu. 1530: Conquistador Don Pedro de Mendoza attempts to reach the area, but fails at the banks of the River Plate. His second in command Juan de Ayolas sails up the River Paraguay and discovers Cabot's abandoned settlement. Domingo Martínez de Irala, another sailor, joins him and is appointed lieutenant to take charge of the region. Ayolas ventures into the Chaco and disappears. 1537: Explorers Juan de Salazar de Espinosa and Gonzalo de Mendoza sail upstream to meet Irala, who guides them to a safe port. A fort is constructed on the riverbank on August 15 and named Asunción for the Catholic feast day. It becomes an outpost for goods being shipped across the continent and later the colony's capital. Settlers are given the right to elect leaders of the colony. 1541: The garrison of Buenos Aires abandons the town and resettles in Asunción. 1542: The province of Paraguay placed under authority of Viceroyalty of Peru. Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca appointed governor. 1543-44: War over the location of the seat of government breaks out. Vaca moves towards Lima, is defeated by natives and returns to Spain. Irala is re-appointed governor. 1544 - 1555: Irala modernizes Paraguay by introducing agriculture and local industry. He repairs relations with the natives. 1556: Irala dies. Jesuit era 1588: Jesuits start their work on establishing Jesuit reductions for native Guaranis in the Governorate of Paraguay. 1589 - 1639: Mameluco slave raids ravish Paraguay until natives are given the right to bear arms and defend themselves. 1640 - 1720: Colonists and Guaranis prosper under the Jesuits in Paraguay. 1721 - 1732: Revolt of the Comuneros against the Jesuits. Revolt is defeated. 1750: Jesuits lose the support of the Spanish Crown. 1750 - 1761: Guaraní War. Spanish–Portuguese forces sack the Jesuit reductions, killing around 1500 Guaranís. 1767: Suppression of the Society of Jesus, the last Jesuits are expelled from colonial Paraguay. Royalist period 1776: Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata which includes the Province of Paraguay, is created. 1796 - 1806: Governor Lázaro de