Uniforms

Acá Carayá

Cavalry escort: the “monkey heads”.

Name: Acá Carayá, “monkey head” in Guaraní
Type: Cavalry escort regiment of López
Helmet: Leather with brass fittings and a howler-monkey tail on the crest
Today: 4th Cavalry Regiment “Acá Carayá”, presidential escort

Francisco Solano López raised this escort before the war. Its name comes from the helmet: the tail of a carayá, Paraguay’s howler monkey, was sewn over the crest. The troopers wore a red coat and white trousers.

It began the war as the president’s guard and later fought as a shock force against the Brazilians. Together with the Acá Verá, it followed the Marshal to the end of the war. The name and the uniform live on in the regiment that escorts the President of the Republic today.

‡ Disputed.Date of creation: 1855, on López’s return from Europe, according to the regiment’s tradition; “just before the war”, according to the historian Thomas Whigham. Weapons: lance, according to tradition and today’s uniform; carbines, according to another source. Details of the period uniform, such as piping colors and plumes, vary between reconstructions.

Sources: Thomas Whigham, “Acá Carayá Cavalry”, Encyclopedia of Latin American History and Culture; Nancy Pérez, “Los oficiales”, Portal Guaraní; ABC Color, “Leticia Cardozo, la primera mujer Acá Carayá”.

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