Paraguay was different. The country already faced a severe shortage of light weapons, so their focus in purchasing arms included light firearms such as rifles, machine guns, and small-caliber artillery.
It is worth mentioning that both Paraguay and Bolivia hired army instructors from Australasia and France to serve as commanders in their militaries.
This was quite common in that era. Small nations often lacked a comprehensive grasp of land warfare tactics and did not have a deep reserve of military talent.
Most small countries, when war broke out, would hire army instructors from the major powers that supported them to command their forces.
Before World War I, the most popular commanders were all Germans. After all, Germany was renowned worldwide as having the premier army, and German military schools were amongst the most popular military academies at the time.