The Iguazu Falls are a true spectacle of nature and are considered as one of the new wonders of the world, but it is not the only place to visit, very close are the ruins of San Ignacio.
To take into account: Bring sunscreen and insect repellent, and comfortable shoes, because you must walk a lot inside the ruin to hear the guide’s explanation.
San Ignacio is an Argentine town and municipality located in the province of Misiones, less than 3 kilometers from the right bank of the Paraná River.
an Ignacio has just over 8 thousand inhabitants and is surrounded by an admirable nature.
The ruins of San Ignacio is one of the main attractions near the Iguazu Falls. The reduction enhances the rest of the tourist attractions, among which we find varied camping areas and agrotourism ventures.
The name comes from Ignacio de Loyola, the Catholic founder of the Society of Jesus, who installed the famous aboriginal reduction. Loyola was later declared a saint by the Catholic Church.
San Ignacio is well known for having in its urban center the historical ruins of the Jesuit reduction of San Ignacio Miní, whose remains are among the best preserved of this historical stage.
These ruins where the priests organized Guaraní Indians were declared World Heritage by UNESCO in 1984, and the tourism generated by them is one of their main sources of income.
The Jesuit Mission of San Ignacio Miní was intended to evangelize the Guaraní natives who inhabited this part of the region.
Jesuit missions in Guaraní territory were a unique experience in the world and forged an essential page of regional history.
The testimonies of that experience are found in the old reductions, prepared for tourist visits with services of all kinds for individual or group attention.
The circuit consists of the following reductions, San Ignacio de Miní, Our Lady of Loreto, Santa Ana, and Santa María which is located in the south of the province.
Jesuit Mission Reduction of San Ignacio Miní
These are the reductions of the Jesuit Mission of San Ignacio Miní, founded by Jesuit Father San Roque González de Santa Cruz at the beginning of the 17th century.
The Jesuit reductions are located in the town of San Ignacio, province of Misiones, Argentina, about 60 km from the capital city Posadas.
These reductions were intended to evangelize the Guaraní natives who inhabited this part of the region.
In 1631, most of the Jesuit reductions were destroyed by the São Paulo or Mamluk bandeirantes, only those of San Ignacio and Our Lady of Loreto resisted the attacks.
The following year, they decided to move westward, the so-called Paranaimá region.
Although the Jesuits had people trained to defend themselves, the hostiles forced them to move back to the east, leaving in 1696 definitively restored.
It was in this way, that it received the name of »San Ignacio Mini» (mini means »the smallest» in Guaraní language) to differentiate it from the previous one, later called San Ignacio Guazú (guazú means »the largest» in Guaraní language)
Around the year 1750, about 3,000 inhabitants had been established in the mission. These made crafts that exchanged with other settlements in the area thanks to its strategic location facing the Paraná River.
In 1768, after the expulsion of the Jesuits, it was completely abandoned, and in 1817, as it happened with the rest of the reductions, they were destroyed by the Paraguayans.
Today, the reductions of the Jesuit Mission of San Ignacio Miní, are the best preserved in the Argentine Republic.
Its architecture is common to the rest of those built by the Jesuits.
The Church around the main square, the cemetery, the town hall, the house of the Fathers and the houses.
For the construction of this mission, local materials were used, the red sprinkler in large pieces, which allowed excellent conservation despite the passage of time.
