Why didn't Paraguay prospered that much in the 19th century? Why didn't her economy rise as much as Gran Colombia, Brazil, or Argentina. The country could be successful because of its waterway linking Bolivia and Argentina. The country was the center of yerba mate and wood products. The population was extremely homogeneous as it was 95% mestizo. What could the Lopez family had done in order to have avoided the war in the first place. If the war was avoided, how likely would it be to be a regional power. There are successful landlocked countries, such as Austria and Switzerland. More importantly, could the country expand even with what it had in the 19th Century?