OPEN RESEARCH · LIVING MAP

What we still do not know is part of the history too.

These questions remain visible because the corpus does not yet support closing them without turning hypotheses into facts.

16 QUESTIONS · 4 RESEARCH FRONTS

Not a list of gaps: a research program.

Each front groups questions that require different kinds of evidence. The grouping guides reading; Q-* records remain the canonical units and preserve their sources, leads, and limits.

01 / RESEARCH FRONT · 3 RECORDS

Law and case files

Cases, professional practice, and addresses that still require a primary record to close the identification.

Q-001

Case 154/1957: final outcome unresolved

What we know

The case file has been identified by number, year, court, judicial division and folios, but its final outcome has not been established. In 1959 El País reported Nicasio Adriano Dávalos’s complaint concerning Honoria Balirán, including allegations about the sale of Serafina’s cars.

What remains open

Do not claim withdrawal, dismissal, termination or a judgment. The allegations have not been adjudicated; the closing folios are still being sought (LEAD-065).

Traceability

SOURCE: SRC-081
LEAD: LEAD-057 · LEAD-063 · LEAD-065 · LEAD-064 · LEAD-031

Open questionEVIDENCE STATUSPRIMARY_PRESS_REPORT_ALLEGATION_NOT_ADJUDICATEDSOURCE IDsSRC-081LEAD IDsLEAD-057 · LEAD-063 · LEAD-065 · LEAD-064 · LEAD-031

Q-005

The Ramona Garay case: no court file yet identified

What we know

An account discussed by historian Mary Monte describes Ramona Garay seeking Serafina’s help in a dispute involving yerba mate around 1908. Its recorded provenance includes an October 2020 interview with Estela Bertoni.

What remains open

No case caption, court or primary file has been identified to confirm this as a legal case handled by Serafina. It must not be listed among verified cases.

Traceability

SOURCE: SRC-064SRC-160
LEAD: LEAD-123 · LEAD-033

Open questionEVIDENCE STATUS

OFFICIAL_CDE_PUBLICATION / MODERN_REPORT_OF_ORAL_HISTORY_LEGAL_LEAD / DIRECT_SOURCE_PROVENANCE_FOR_ORAL_HISTORY / UNVERIFIED_CASE_IDENTITY_PENDING_PRIMARY_RECORD

SOURCE IDsSRC-064 · SRC-160LEAD IDsLEAD-123 · LEAD-033

Q-008

Serafina’s law office on Cerro Corá: the contemporary address

What we know

A September 2026 interview described Serafina opening a law office near Cerro Corá and Independencia Nacional after her 1907 thesis.

What remains open

Do not automatically identify this office with the Cerro Corá 84 address documented in 1915. Separate office from residence and verify contemporary street numbering.

Traceability

SOURCE: SRC-061
LEAD: LEAD-122 · LEAD-032

Open questionEVIDENCE STATUSATTRIBUTED_FAMILY_TESTIMONY_ADDRESSSOURCE IDsSRC-061LEAD IDsLEAD-122 · LEAD-032

02 / RESEARCH FRONT · 5 RECORDS

House, objects, and remains

The physical fate of the house, library, remains, and other objects of memory continues to generate concrete documentary questions.

Q-002

Serafina’s remains: niche 44 at La Recoleta

What we know

Niche 44 at La Recoleta is the last documented location of Serafina’s remains. It was reassigned in 2021, while investigative work in 2024 linked the municipal records to that niche. Their present location is not established.

What remains open

Anonymous cemetery workers’ accounts do not establish where the remains went. The underlying municipal records and case files are still being sought.

Traceability

SOURCE: SRC-058
LEAD: LEAD-004

Open questionEVIDENCE STATUS

ATTRIBUTED_FIELD_VERIFICATION / SECONDARY_WITH_DOCUMENTARY_TRAIL / ATTRIBUTED_OFFICIAL_VERSION_VIA_INVESTIGATIVE_REPORT / LAST_DOCUMENTED_LOCATION_NOT_CURRENT_LOCATION

SOURCE IDsSRC-058LEAD IDsLEAD-004

Q-003

What survives of Serafina’s library, and where?

What we know

Line Bareiro wrote in 1990 that Serafina’s library was held by relatives of Ezequiel González Alsina. Accounts of a substantial library also survive. The present whereabouts of books, correspondence, photographs and manuscripts are unknown.

What remains open

The 1990 custodial statement is documented; current survival and location are not. Compare this account with Rosemary Dávalos’s 2022 testimony.

Traceability

SOURCE: SRC-001
LEAD: LEAD-079 · LEAD-121

Open questionEVIDENCE STATUSCONFIRMED_AS_AUTHOR_STATEMENT_CURRENT_LOCATION_UNKNOWN / ATTRIBUTED_ORAL_MEMORY_CHAINSOURCE IDsSRC-001LEAD IDsLEAD-079 · LEAD-121

Q-006

La Serafina beer: the 2025 product line and original labels

What we know

Two questions remain about the material history of La Serafina beer: whether Aireana’s March 2025 product line was branded Serafina, and where original, attributable photographs of labels, cans or bottles can be found.

What remains open

The identity of the 2025 line cannot be inferred from earlier or later beers using the Serafina name. Original images and provenance are still needed.

Traceability

SOURCE: SRC-119SRC-121
LEAD: LEAD-141 · LEAD-144

Open questionEVIDENCE STATUSCONTEMPORARY_NEWS_AND_SOCIAL_RECORD / PRIMARY_SOCIAL_MEDIA_SOURCE / CONTEMPORARY_PRODUCT_HISTORYSOURCE IDsSRC-119 · SRC-121LEAD IDsLEAD-141 · LEAD-144

Q-007

Casa Serafina after termination: custody, ownership and legal status

What we know

The termination of the IPS–SNC agreement was officially recorded on 9 July 2026, with an updated instrument dated 3 September. Present custody, legal title and the basis for restoration work still require verification.

What remains open

Obtain the complete signed resolutions, property records and the implementing documents for Law 7679/2026. A restoration plan is not evidence that work has taken place.

Traceability

SOURCE: SRC-210
LEAD: LEAD-068 · LEAD-142 · LEAD-143 · LEAD-075

Open questionEVIDENCE STATUSCONFIRMED_OFFICIAL_INDEX_FULL_RESOLUTION_PDF_PENDING / CONFIRMED_OFFICIAL_INDEXSOURCE IDsSRC-210LEAD IDsLEAD-068 · LEAD-142 · LEAD-143 · LEAD-075

Q-012

Official file for the planned 2026 emergency restoration

What we know

A press report estimated G. 598 million for emergency work and described projected dates for tender award and construction in September–October 2026. The official procurement and project file has not been obtained.

What remains open

Do not present G. 598 million as an authenticated tender amount or projected dates as proof of award or completed work.

Traceability

SOURCE: SRC-204
LEAD: LEAD-139 · LEAD-067 · LEAD-072

Open questionEVIDENCE STATUSCONFIRMED_AS_REPORTED_NOT_OFFICIAL_BUDGET / CONFIRMED_AS_REPORTED_SECONDARY_PRESSSOURCE IDsSRC-204LEAD IDsLEAD-139 · LEAD-067 · LEAD-072

03 / RESEARCH FRONT · 6 RECORDS

Education, texts, and images

Diplomas, figures, photographs, and attributed texts require originals, provenance, or identification before becoming first-level evidence.

Q-004

La Colmena: was ten published pieces an admission requirement?

What we know

Rosemary Dávalos stated in 2022 that La Colmena required more than ten published pieces for admission and that Serafina qualified. A historical passage preserved in a reprint also mentions a proposal involving ten signed articles.

What remains open

A formally binding rule is not established. Other sources say La Colmena had no written statutes. Contemporary practice and the bibliography must be verified.

Traceability

SOURCE: SRC-001SRC-167
LEAD: LEAD-087 · LEAD-101 · LEAD-102 · LEAD-103

Open questionEVIDENCE STATUSATTRIBUTED_ORAL_CLAIM_UNVERIFIED_RULE / HISTORICAL_QUOTATION_VIA_REPRINT / CORRECTS_OVERREADING_OF_ORAL_CLAIMSOURCE IDsSRC-001 · SRC-167LEAD IDsLEAD-087 · LEAD-101 · LEAD-102 · LEAD-103

Q-009

The Faculty of Law staff photograph shown in 2020

What we know

Mary Monte presented a newly identified photograph at a September 2020 event and described it as showing Serafina alongside Faculty of Law teaching staff.

What remains open

The date, provenance, identities of those pictured and reproduction rights require independent verification before it can serve as primary biographical evidence.

Traceability

SOURCE: SRC-160
LEAD: LEAD-135

Open questionEVIDENCE STATUSSTRONG_LINK_PROVENANCE / ATTRIBUTED_RESEARCH_LEADSOURCE IDsSRC-160LEAD IDsLEAD-135

Q-010

Finding an authenticated portrait of Honoria Balirán

What we know

No authenticated photograph of Honoria Balirán has yet been identified. Previous searches produced portraits of Serafina or unverified attributions.

What remains open

This does not establish that no photograph exists. Family albums, Escuela Normal and Colegio Mercantil collections remain leads; any portrait requires verified provenance and identity.

Traceability

SOURCE: —
LEAD: LEAD-136

Open questionEVIDENCE STATUSNEGATIVE_VISUAL_STATUS_NOT_PROOF_OF_ABSENCESOURCE IDs—LEAD IDsLEAD-136

Q-011

Primary figures for teachers in 1886/1929 and enrolment in 1929

What we know

In 2022 David Velázquez Seiferheld cited approximate figures of 458 teachers in 1886, including 148 women, and about 540 men versus 2,100–2,200 women by 1929. He also contrasted roughly 100,000 primary pupils with 700 secondary pupils in 1929.

What remains open

These are secondary numerical claims. The 1886 census and official 1929 statistics are needed before they can be treated as verified primary figures.

Traceability

SOURCE: SRC-203
LEAD: LEAD-137 · LEAD-138

Open questionEVIDENCE STATUSPRIMARY_TABLES_PENDING / SECONDARY_NUMERICAL_CLAIM_PRIMARY_PENDINGSOURCE IDsSRC-203LEAD IDsLEAD-137 · LEAD-138

Q-013

The original records or diplomas for the 1898 Normal School graduates

What we know

Sources report that the first Paraguayan women to complete Normal School teacher training graduated on 22 November 1898, including Serafina Dávalos and Honoria Balirán. This must remain distinct from the 1895 cohort of preceptors.

What remains open

The original 1898 register or diploma is needed. A centenary album may contain photographs. Do not conflate preceptor training in 1895 with Normal School graduation in 1898.

Traceability

SOURCE: SRC-064SRC-170
LEAD: LEAD-097 · LEAD-084

Open questionEVIDENCE STATUSSECONDARY_WITH_NAMED_SOURCE_EXACT_DATE / QUALIFICATION_SEQUENCE_CLARIFIEDSOURCE IDsSRC-064 · SRC-170LEAD IDsLEAD-097 · LEAD-084

Q-016

Provenance of a text attributed to 1897

What we know

A 2019 MBOʼE publication reproduces a substantial paragraph attributed to Serafina Dávalos in 1897 without identifying the original bibliographic source.

What remains open

The original remains unidentified. Trace the article’s references and underlying manuscript or publication before assigning an established title or date.

Traceability

SOURCE: —
LEAD: LEAD-007 · LEAD-016 · LEAD-014

Open questionEVIDENCE STATUSPROVENANCE_GAP_CONFIRMEDSOURCE IDs—LEAD IDsLEAD-007 · LEAD-016 · LEAD-014

04 / RESEARCH FRONT · 2 RECORDS

Organizations and networks

Historical memberships and contemporary organizations with the same name must remain separate until their files are complete.

Q-014

Membership and sponsorship in feminist associations, 1929–1954

What we know

Accounts differ on Serafina’s membership in the 1929 Feminist Association, participation in the association of 1943 and a founding or sponsoring role in APUG in 1954. These roles still require primary documents.

What remains open

Absence from an incomplete list does not prove non-membership. Keep the separate organisations of 1920, 1929, 1943 and 1954 distinct.

Traceability

SOURCE: SRC-007
LEAD: LEAD-042 · LEAD-043 · LEAD-049

Open questionEVIDENCE STATUS

PRIMARYISH_ACCOUNT_FOUNDING_ROLE_OF_SERAFINA_UNCONFIRMED / SINGLE_SOURCE_SECONDARY_PRIMARY_BASIS_UNKNOWN / UNCONFIRMED_LATER_BIOGRAPHICAL_CLAIM / FOUNDING_ROLE_UNCONFIRMED / SINGLE_SECONDARY_SOURCE_PRIMARY_BASIS_UNKNOWN

SOURCE IDsSRC-007LEAD IDsLEAD-042 · LEAD-043 · LEAD-049

Q-015

Registry and online verification of similarly named organisations

What we know

Several distinct organisations use Serafina’s name, including Rescatando a Serafina, Asociación Serafina Dávalos and Asociación de Mujeres Universitarias Serafina Dávalos. Their identities, registrations and the status of an earlier website remain under review.

What remains open

Do not merge these entities with one another or with historical APUG. Founding documents, statutes, legal identities and registration numbers are needed. An inaccessible website was not necessarily never launched.

Traceability

SOURCE: SRC-135SRC-167SRC-171SRC-201
LEAD: LEAD-133 · LEAD-134 · LEAD-089

Open questionEVIDENCE STATUS

SECONDARY_DNIT_INDEX_CROSSCHECKED / CONTEMPORARY_REPORTS_REGISTRY_PENDING / CURRENT_SECONDARY_REGISTRY_INDEX / CONTEMPORARY_ORGANIZATION_EXISTENCE_LEGAL_STATUS_PENDING / DIRECT_ORAL_WEB_PROJECT_STATUS_2022

SOURCE IDsSRC-135 · SRC-167 · SRC-171 · SRC-201LEAD IDsLEAD-133 · LEAD-134 · LEAD-089

10 / MEMORY IS A SHARED ENDEAVOUR

Perhaps a part of this story is with you.

A photograph, a letter, a memory, a question. Every contribution can open a new line of inquiry.

I’d like to take part