San Ignacio Miní

San Ignacio Miní was founded in 1610 and moved to this site in 1696, growing into a mission town of several thousand Guaraní people organised around a great plaza, with workshops, dwellings, a school and a church of red sandstone carved with a distinctive blend of European baroque and Guaraní design. Left by the Jesuits after their expulsion, wrecked in 1817 and swallowed by forest, it was rediscovered in 1897 and cleared and restored from 1940, and what stands today, the church facade, sculpted portals, walls of houses and the plaza outline, makes it the most complete of the Argentine missions and part of the UNESCO listing shared with Brazil and Paraguay. An interpretation centre sets out mission life, and an evening sound-and-light show projects onto the ruins.

History

The Jesuits José Cataldino and Simón Maceta founded the original mission around 1610 in the Guayrá region; it moved in 1632 and settled on this site only in 1696, and in the 18th century it had about 3,000 people, most of them Guaraní. After the suppression of the Society of Jesus in 1767 the Jesuits left the following year, and in 1817, during the war against the independence movement in the Banda Oriental, Luso-Brazilian forces wrecked the mission. Its remains were found in 1897 and drew wider interest after the poet Leopoldo Lugones' expedition of 1903; the government began formal exploration and restoration in 1940, and the ruins became a World Heritage Site in 1984 (Wikipedia, San Ignacio Miní).

What you'll find

• The church facade - carved red sandstone with Guaraní-baroque ornament.
• The plaza and dwellings - the mission street plan and rows of house walls.
• The interpretation centre - the story of the missions and their people.
• The night show - projections and narration onto the ruins after dark.

When to go

April to October for cooler, drier weather; summer in Misiones is hot and humid with sudden downpours. Early morning has the best light on the sandstone and the fewest visitors. The night show runs on a seasonal schedule.

What to expect

The ruins are roofless and partly reconstructed, and the site is compact enough to see in two hours. There is little shade, and midday heat is heavy. The mission story is complex and the interpretation, largely in Spanish, presents it from a particular angle.

Nearby

Loreto and Santa Ana ruins are minutes away; Teyú Cuaré park overlooks the river nearby.

Key facts