Jesuit Mission near Iguazu

We took a day trip away from the Falls and visited a couple of sites - the first was the Wanda Mines (though the 'w' sounds like a  'b' - the guide stressed this a couple of times - I am not sure why...) where they mine for amethyst, quartz and citrine - it is a bit of an open mine and tunnels.  There are 11 miners at this mine and it is all manual labour.  They blasted with gun powder in one of the tunnels shortly after we arrived - very strange to hear the muffled blasts and see the dust coming out of the mine tunnel.

 

before

after

We then went to the ruins of a Jesuit Mission - the San Ignacio Mini - a UNESCO World Heritage site.  Between 1609 and 1818 the Jesuit Guarani Missions were developed in the territories of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay.  There were 30 settlements which registered 141,182 inhabitants in 1732.  The settlements were run by the Jesuits but the inhabitants were abandoned to their own luck in 1767 after King Carlos III expelled the Jesuits from Spanish territories.  This site fell into ruins and was claimed back by the jungle,  though the centre square remained clear of any trees the soil was packed so hard from the many warriors and horses through out the years. It was fascinating to wander the grounds and we had an excellent guide who has traced his heritage back to the Guarani people. 

There is a centre square - as you can see - still no trees.

entrance to the church

entrance to the priest's area

no cement - the rocks are layered