Archaeological investigations show that the Guarani culture originates in the tropical forests of the basins of Paraná River, Uruguay River and the ends of the southern Brazilian plateau.
In the 5th century this culture would have already differentiated from the Tupi and would be structured with characteristics observable in the 16th century, as well as today. The same archaeologists suggest that its existence as a unic culture would last approximately one millennium.
The Guarani-Kaiowá, as they are known in literature, would accept the name Paĩ, a title used by the gods who inhabit paradise when speaking to them, but the name that best corresponds to them is Tavyterã or Paĩ-tavyterã, which means " inhabitant of the village of the trueth future land " (távy-yvy-ete-rã).
The name Kaiowá must come from the term KA'A O GUA, that is "those who belong to the high, dense forest", which is indicated by the suffix “o” (large), referring to the current Guarani-Kaiowá or Paĩ-Tavyterã .
Inhabiting the southern region of Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul, the Kaiowá people distribute their villages across an area that extends to the Apa, Dourados and Ivinhema rivers, to the north, heading south, to the Mbarakaju mountain range and the tributaries of the Jejui river, in Paraguay, reaching approximately 100km in its east-west extension, also reaching approximately 100km on both sides of the Amambaí mountains, which makes up the Paraguay-Brazil borderline and the left bank of the Iguatemi River, which limits the south of Kaiowá territory.
Agriculture is the main Guarani economic activity, but they enjoy hunting and fishing, practicing them whenever possible.
They carry out a subsistence economy, marked by the distribution and redistribution of produced goods and in which economic production relations, whatever the activity, are guided by social ties defined by kinship.
Guarani survival has been guaranteed by the planting and commercialization of corn and cassava and their derivatives.
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