In 1549, a Spanish explorer, Cabeza de Vaca, found the falls while trailing down the river. Very impressed, he named them "Quedas de Santa Maria". But later the name changed to Quedas del Iguazu; this name is a native name from the Guarani Indians who once lived there.
Until 1860, it was under the disputed territory between Brazil and Paraguay, but given the latter's defeat in the Paraguayan War, the falls were recognized as part of the Brazilian territory.
The region was almost uninhabited, and there was only a military colony until 1897, with the creation of a postal office in the region. Given the little attention of the political authorities, the region was very predated by foreigners, mainly Argentines.
In 1910, the colony's status was upgraded to the position of "vila" (town or village), named "Vila Iguazu", and, in 1914, to city. At that time, the city was known as Foz do Iguassu.
In 1916, Alberto Santos-Dumont visited the region and, impressed with the beauties of the region, suggested more attention of the government to the area and asked for the appropriation of the land where currently is the Parque do Iguacu (Iguazu Park). Until 1917, this region had an owner, Jezus Val. The state appropriated the land in the next year, and, in 1939, the Parque Nacional do Iguacu was created.
In 1945, an agreement between the Brazilian Academy of Letters and the Academy of Lisbon changed the city name to Foz do Iguacu.
The city experienced a big economical boom in the 1960s to the late 1980s, first with the construction of the Friendship Bridge, concluded in 1965, and the Itaipu Dam, finished in the beginning of the 1990s. However, the city suffered with the world economy's recession, that resulted in fewer tourists and fewer consumers of Ciudad del Este's imported goods.
In 2004, the city's economy started again to grow up, after a long time of recession.
On October 19, 2005, a proposal was made to adjust the city
