History

The Paraguay Cross was authorized by Dom Pedro II one year after the War of the Triple Alliance ended. It was founded to reward military personnel who participated in helping the war effort, such as Brazilian Armed Forces, National Guards, Volunteers, Police and civilians, as well as Uruguayan and Argentinian military personnel who assisted Brazil in the defeat of the Paraguayan government.

The Cross was authorized with three grades according to the rank of the recipient. This cross may have additional clasps on the ribbon, with gold bars associated to Senior Officers, silver bars associated to N.C.O's, and bronze bars associated to men, which consisted of numbers that represent their number of years of service rendered.