57,400 (estimated)
The history and meaning of the name Guaraní is a subject of dispute. Prior to the encounter with Europeans, the Guaraní referred to themselves simply as Abá, meaning "men" or "people."[2] The term Guaraní was originally applied by early Jesuit missionaries to refer to natives who had accepted conversion and thus "civilized", while using the term Cayua or Caingua to refer to those who had refused conversion. Cayua is roughly translated as "men from the forest". While the term Cayua is sometimes still used to refer to settlements of indigenous peoples that have not well integrated into society, the modern usage of the name Guaraní is generally extended to include all people of native origin regardless of societal status.
The history of the Guaraní people prior to contact with European explorers is not well documented. They did not have a written language and their history relied on oral tradition, and as they were a somewhat nomadic and decentralized society there is little in the way of reliable history.[3]
Early villages often consisted of communal houses, of ten to fifteen families. Communities were united only by common interest and language, and tended to form tribal groups by dialect. It is estimated that they numbered at some 400,000 people when they were first encountered by Europeans. They were sedentary and agricultural, subsisting largely on manioc, maize, wild game, and honey.
