José Asunción Flores (August 27, 1904 – May 16, 1972) was a Paraguayan composer and the creator of *Guarania*, the musical genre that would become one of the most distinctive expressions of Paraguay’s cultural identity.
He was born in a poor neighborhood of Asunción and began working at an early age to help support his mother. At just eleven, he joined a musical group, and in 1922 he wrote his first composition, the polka *Manuel Gondra*.
In 1925, after experimenting with the traditional music of his country, he created a new genre, which he named *Guarania*. His aim was to express through music the emotions, hopes, and struggles of modern Paraguay. The new style quickly gained popularity and became an important part of Paraguayan culture.
Flores fought in the Chaco War (1932–1935) and later settled in Buenos Aires, where he continued his musical work. Despite political exile and the banning of his songs under the regime of Alfredo Stroessner, his music continued to circulate throughout Paraguay and remained popular among the people.
In 1949 he was awarded Paraguay’s **National Order of Merit**, but refused to accept it in protest against the violent repression of a student demonstration. He died in Buenos Aires in 1972, having been denied permission to return to his homeland.
Flores left a lasting musical legacy that reached far beyond Paraguay. *Guarania* remains one of the most important and recognizable expressions of Paraguayan cultural identity.
