Explore the captivating history of a war that often isn't mentioned in US textbooks.

The Paraguayan War of 1864-1870 was the bloodiest war between nations in South American history. Discover how tiny Paraguay had a tyrant with a giant ego and the largest army on the continent and how and why he invaded Brazil and Argentina. Learn about the biggest naval battle in South America's history and about the Paraguayan fortress called South America's Gibraltar.

You'll also learn about how the king of Portugal moved to Rio de Janeiro with his court to escape Napoleon and how he declared Brazil to be co-equals with Portugal. Learn how his son and grandson became emperors of the independent Empire of Brazil.

Find out about Eliza Alice Lynch, the woman from Ireland who was a tyrant's lover and owned more property than any other woman in the world. You'll be captivated by her outrageous love for a murderous tyrant and how she followed him to his death, burying him and her oldest son in a grave she dug in the mud with her bare hands.

In this book, you will learn about the following:

• The Jesuit missions to the Guaraní, an independent theocracy unique in history;
• Dr. José Gaspar de Francia, or El Supremo, who required foreign visitors to stay in Paraguay for the rest of their lives;
• Carlos Antonio López, El Excelentisimo, who grew so fat he could not ride a horse;
• Francisco Solano López, El Mariscal, who thought firing squads were a waste of bullets and had executions done by bayonet or machete;
• How Uruguay and Paraguay survived being bordered by superpowers;
• How an army of boys and old men continued a war for more than a year;
• How Paraguay managed to survive despite 90 percent of its men being killed in the war;
• And so much more!