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| The citizens of the missions....... the Gurani and the Jesuits |
In between our meetings on Friday and Saturday evening, we drove north an hour out of Posadas to San Ignacio, where there are ruins of the well known Jesuit Guarani missions from the 16th century.
This was an educational as well as a stunning experience to see ruins that are so very old. The Jesuits from Spain organized communal living with the indigenous Guarani and taught them music, art, wood carving, construction and many other skills. The Guarani felt protected by the Jesuits. This particular colony of ruins we saw first originated in Brazil in 1609. It was moved to the province of Misiones, Argentina, in San Ignacio around 1697. There are about 30 ancient Jesuit Missions throughout South America. Seven of these missions have been delcared World Heritage Sites. This particular mission is a World Heritage Site. It was a stirring experience to walk through these very ancient ruins ..... and imagine the mix of cultures and languages all coming together in a community.......
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| The musem of the Jesuit Missions |
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| An fruit laden orange tree among the ruins |
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| The stone work was incredible! |
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Many vendors in the province of Misiones, which is close to the Paraguayan border, sell the "Chipa" bread which is a staple in Paraguay. These bread baskets hang beside the road and the vendors fill small plastic bags with the bread and sell 2-3 pieces of bread to people driving by or stopped at traffic lights.
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| This bird was sitting among the ruins making the loudest noise I have ever heard a bird make! He was gorgeous! |
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