Origin of Las Marias
It all began with a cattle ranch called Vuelta del Ombú.
The Uruguayan Víctor Navajas, a prominent resident of the city of Santo Tomé and one of its refounders, bought the ranch. Then one of his sons, Adolfo Navajas, named it Las Marías in 1912, shortly before he died. That same year his widow Concepción Centeno de Navajas moved there with her four children, determined to stay and earn a way of life from the land, adding some plantations to the classic cattle ranching activity.
Defying tradition, in 1912 she bought two thousand yerba mate plants and planted them in Las Marías; although it was not successful, the family kept the legacy of that attempt.
Las Marías and their founder
In 1924, Víctor Elías Navajas Centeno, heir to Las Marías, once again challenged the traditions of the region by successfully planting the southernmost yerba mate plantations on the planet.
Later, Don Víctor decided to continue innovating, and started the integral production of yerba mate, from the nursery to packaging at source. From 1940 onwards, the Taragüi brand began its journey, later to stand out in a competitive market.
In this context, the need for a medical service and a school became a priority in Las Marías, in addition to guaranteeing housing for the families of the workers. Thus a community was formed with the family spirit that characterizes it to this day.
In the 40s and 50s, the incorporation of Don Víctor's older children into the productive activity had a multiplying effect. Tea, which had been cultivated in the Misiones region, also began to develop in Las Marías in an integral manner. In just a few years, he achieved the best scores worldwide.
On the other hand, the forestation initiated in response to the challenge of taking advantage of low-lying areas not suitable for yerba mate and tea, gave rise to the development of a growing wood industry.
In the sixties, Don Victor decided to retire. He took up intensive livestock farming again as an occupation and created the Victoria Jean Navajas Foundation, focused on education with an outreach to the entire community. Some time later, he traveled the world, built the chapel at the Las Marías cemetery and in that plan, he died at the age of 64 in Barcelona, on July 10, 1967.
