Jesuit missions among the Guaraní, Jesuit mission ruins in Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil
The Jesuit missions among the Guaraní are a group of 17th-century ruins spread across San Ignacio in Argentina and São Miguel das Missões in Brazil. Each site displays the remains of churches, residential blocks, workshops and plazas that once formed the center of the settlements.
Jesuits founded these settlements in the 17th century to shield Guaraní communities from forced labor by Spanish colonists. The Spanish crown expelled the order in 1767, after which residents left and the buildings fell into decay.
The settlements were shaped by cooperation between Jesuits and Guaraní, with both groups influencing the layout of courtyards, gardens and gathering spaces. Visitors today still recognize the mix of European arches and local decorative patterns on the remaining walls and columns.
The sites lie in rural areas with varying path conditions, from level ground to uneven stone walkways between the ruins. Sun protection and sturdy footwear make the visit easier, as some areas remain exposed to the weather.
The missions were planned around a central complex of church, cloister, school and workshops, flanked by a prison, a house for widows and a cemetery divided into sections for men and for women and children. Family houses lined the "upper" and "lower" sides of this centre.
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