 Doorway in San Ignacio, detail (29 K) |
Mission of San Ignacio Miní
Together with the mission of Loreto, San Ignacio Miní was founded by the
padres José Cataldino and Simón Masseta in 1610 in the region of the Guayrá.
Forced to move because of the attacks of the bandeirantes who sought to
capture the Guaraní Indians in order to sell them as slaves, and driven
by Antonio Ruiz of Montoya they went down the rivers and after several
establishments they finally settled down in 1696. They reached a population
of 4,500 Guaraní Indians.
When the Jesuits were expelled in 1767, San Ignacio Miní survived until
it was destroyed, as other towns, by Paraguayan troops. The ruins were
rescued in the forest and carefully preserved.
The map 
of the missions present the typical disposition of the Jesuit settlements.
A big avenue leads to the main constructions around the square, the town
council and the church, with it baptistery and sacristy.
The ruins of the church (of 70m for 24m), the cemetery, the house of the
widows " coty-guazú ", the school and the house of the padres can easily
be made out. The bass relieves are decorated with flowers, angels and
doves. The design of other architectural elements, such as floors and
balustrades, are very interesting.
On both sides of the square there are long lines of houses for the indian
families. The 30 constructions with a double gallery have been subdivided
in 10 one-room apartments. Only the thick walls remain, some of them cracked
by the vegetation of the forest.
The material used was red stone and basalt placed one upon the other without
the use of cement.
 Aerial of San Ignacio (54 K) |
A show of light and sound with songs and music of the time and activities done in the missions is performed every night.
There is a Museum with pieces found in the missions and a Centre of Regional Interpretation which shows images accompanied by music that recreate events which took place before, during and after the stay of the Jesuits in the area. But the most important pieces of the missions can be seen in the museums of Buenos Aires (Issac Fernández Blanco and the Museum of Colonial Art).
Nearby you can visit:
=> House of Horacio Quiroga (Uruguayan writer 1878-1937), a typical house built by the writer in wood from Misiones. The furniture was also manufactured in wood from Misiones.
=> Provincial Park Teyú Cuaré (cave of the lizard), 78 hectares of an ecological reservation in the forest of Misiones. Panorama on the river Paraná.
