A BIT OF HISTORY WITH THE ARGENTINE JESUIT RUINS

We had the opportunity to visit 3 Jesuit ruins around and in San Ignacio with the help of a local agency. The ruins of Santa Ana, Loreto and finally the best known, the ruins of San Ignacio Mini (commonly called the ruins of San Ignacio for short). These Jesuit ruins are all in the same area about ten kilometers from the town of San Ignacio.

WHAT ARE THE JESUIT RUINS?

These are the remains of small towns including church, workshops, houses, common and agricultural spaces promoted by the Jesuits. The Jesuits who came from Europe, notably from Spain and Germany, had infrastructures built to attract the Guaranis (those who lived there quietly long before the arrival of the Jesuits) to live near them and "inculcate" in them the Christianity. To tell the truth, the story is not that simple, so if you want to know a little more, the visit to the ruins will be perfect. You will also find more information on the UNESCO page dedicated to the Jesuit ruins currently located in Paraguay.

THE RUINS OF SANTA ANA AND LORETO

The ruins of Santa Ana and Loreto are "really" ruins and furthermore there is little to no explanation of the sites. So, unless you have a guide detailing the history of the place or call on a site guide (which is quite possible, if you plan ahead) you don't understand much... Our excursion for the day included visits with a guide, which allowed us to learn a little more about the Christianization of the territory, the Guarani culture, the different functions, the evolution of the site and finally some asides on the local flora and fauna.

Even though the visit was made in freezing cold, it was nice to learn a little more about the history of the place.

SAN IGNACIO, ITS MONUMENTAL GATE AND ITS RED STONES

As for San Ignacio, there is a museum that allows you to have a brief overview of the history and culture of the Guaranis. There is a beautiful model that lets you imagine what the place was like and several objects that were found during the excavations are on display. The explanations are in Castilian and English. Then, it takes half an hour to go around quietly and take some photographs. There are a few signs on the site to provide oral explanations in different languages (including French), but most no longer work… There is also a sound and light show in the evening, but you have to pay another entry ticket to attend the show. The ruins of San Ignacio have been partly restored and it's not too bad to understand a little how the place worked before it was destroyed.

We found it sublime, being all alone (with the site's adorable dog) in the middle of this morning mist and these ruins enchanted us!

OUR PRACTICAL ADVICE

Transport

From the terminal of Posadas or Puerto Iguazu, you will easily find buses taking you to San Ignacio. There are also tours including San Ignacio and then the Iguazu Falls . The San Ignacio bus terminal offers departures almost every 30 minutes to get to Puerto Iguazu and about every hour to get to Posadas.

Activity

The Jesuit ruins of San Ignacio are in the heart of the village, so the site is very accessible.
It takes 180 pesos for the entry of a person (foreign visitor rate). This rate includes access to the UNESCO sites of the Jesuit ruins in the area, including Santa Ana and Loreto, the ticket is valid for 15 days. Just keep the entry ticket safe.
The price of the excursion we chose was 300 pesos per person (quite expensive all things considered, but the guide was very friendly and gave us good advice) including transport between the ruins, a guide for the ruins of Santa Ana and Loreto and a walk with a guide in the Osonunu reserve.

If we had to do it again, between Santa Ana and Loreto, we would have visited only one of the ruins with a guide and the solo visit to San Ignacio.

Accommodation

We were looking for the cheapest hostel possible and we were not disappointed. It's rather clean, the evening meals with starter and dessert, plentiful and inexpensive (75 pesos), the breakfast included in the night was complete with homemade products and the dining room around an open fireplace. This is the hostel SiHostel .