Jesuit Mission - March 8

In In the 1600s, the Portuguese and Spanish Jesuits infiltrated areas in Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay in an attempt to convert the local people to their religion. They built 30 missions in this area which includes the region of Misiones in Argentina. We visited the ruins of the largest of these missions - San Ignacio Mini. This one was founded in 1696 and flourished until the expulsion of the Jesuits around 1767. Once the Jesuits were expelled, the local people were unable to sustain the flourishing economic activity of the missions and they retreated back into the depths of the surrounding forest. The ruins are quite intact, although in a dilapidated condition, but amid the aroma of freshly cut grass, we were able to imagine ourselves in the chapel, the hospital, the library, the residences, and drawing water out of the well. The mission covers quite a large area and I believe that at its height there were about 4000 people lived there. After it was deserted, the forest grew over and hid it, until recently when someone went to build a home and discovered this gem on their ground. Our information on the Jesuits is a little sketchy as there was no English guide available, and our Spanish is a little limited - or non existant!! We think that the Jesuits were so economically successsful that the Porguguese and Spanish were threatened by their abilities and monopoly over certain trade and that they decided to expel them. Once again, in our quest for progress, it seems that we arrogantly forced our way of life on the indigenous peoples stripping them of their ability to survive in their own environment when we eventually abandon them to further our own economic resources.