History
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Main article: Russian Mennonite
After Russia introduced general conscription in 1874, about a third of the Russian Mennonites migrated to the US and Canada, as Mennonite churches have a tradition of non-violence. The members of the Colonia Menno (of which Loma Plata is the current largest town and administrative center), initially settled in Canada until a universal, compulsory, secular education was implemented in 1917 that required the use of the English language. Conservative Mennonites saw this as a threat to the religious basis of their community. In 1927, 1,743 pioneers came from Canada to Paraguay, turning the arid Chaco into fertile farmland. It was the first Mennonite colony in the region. Some years later, more Mennonite immigrants from Germany and Russia arrived in the Chaco area and founded the Fernheim (1930) and Neuland (1947) colonies.
The Mennonites' arrival was not properly prepared for by the Casado complex; the land had not been surveyed, no railroad had been constructed in the settlement location, and settlement was delayed by 16 months during which the Mennonites stayed in Puerto Casado.
With no railway, the settlers traveled with oxen carts through underdeveloped roads. The gradual move to the settlement area started in April 1928. Initially, some families lived in wilderness camps, while many still lived in Puerto Casado. Many became sick due to the lack of medical care, where 121 died, 75 of them being children under 14 years. Some 60 families returned to Canada. Eventually, they formed 14 villages. Over time, infrastructure was built alongside houses such as schools and churches. Today, the Menno Colony has about 9,000 descendants of the approximately 1,200 settlers, and a multicultural demographic including Mennonites, indigenous Paraguayans, Latin Paraguayans, and other smaller groups.
In 1937, Loma Plata emerged as the colony center, and a colony office was built (currently the Post office). Loma Plata is a Spanish name. Some settlers rejected it and petitioned for a German name. Loma Plata was unofficially renamed "Sommerfeld" but reverted to its publicly recognized name of Loma Plata within a dozen years.[citation needed]
Today, Loma Plata is the main town of the colony and home to an agricultural co-operative, La Cooperativa Chortitzer Ltda., which focuses on dairy and meat production. [citation needed]
