Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
so until they reached a small hill. At that
point, Naipi, bursting with curiosity, de-
manded that he tell her what he saw.
Taroba described the Iguazú River “round-
ing the valley like a mighty warrior.”
Stifled by her blindness, Naipi screamed in
anguish. With a heavy heart, Taroba kissed
Naipi's hand and moved to the edge of the
river where he prayed to Mboi for Naipi's
sight. Suddenly the river stopped and all
was silent until a great roar came forth from
the earth. An earthquake ripped the
ground, leaving a deep gorge in its wake,
which in turn diverted the river to create
the Iguazú Falls. Naipi, now sighted, be-
came the first person to see the falls. Unfor-
tunately, her lover Taroba, lost his life in
their creation. In a full moon the falls rever-
berate with the painful cries of Naipi plead-
ing for her lover's return.
Tourism began to grow up around the falls at
the turn of the century. In 1898, the first group
of tourists visited the falls, traveling by mule
from Puerto Iguazú. Two years later, a group
made the trip in a wagon pulled by six horses,
two in front and four behind. Machete-bearing
guides, whose job it was to blaze a trail through
the dense jungle, led the way. Development of
the region was initiated by Victoria Aguirre
who, upon being unable to reach them in an
early expedition, donated 3,000 pesos for the
construction of a road to the falls. Its construc-
tion was completed through the generosity of
