Jesuit Ruins
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San Ignacio,
Argentina
Tuesday, November 9, 2004
I might not have gotten to see the Paraguay ones, but I sacrificed myself and got a 6:30am bus to go see the Argentinian ones.
Ruins
After my 6 hour bus ride, I was dropped off by the side of the road to visit the ruins. I left my bags at the information office on the highway and followed the woman`s instructions to the ruins.
Entry was 12 pesos, pretty steep (AUD$6) although it did include the entrance fees for 3 other ruins which I had no intention of visiting. After buying my ticket I had to have it validated by another woman who stood beside a table covered in a maroon velvet cloth. Plush.
There was a small museum, if you could call it that. It was basically like a school play set with papier mached animals. They had tried very hard to recreate the jungle the Jesuits were inhabiting.
I had a wander around the ruins, which were interesting, but not great enough to pay 12 pesos. There were living quarters, a prison and then the school and church. The school had an interesting alternate floor pattern in the rooms. One would have square tiles and the next hexagonal. On the wall above one hexagonal tiled room was a big hexagonal window looking thing carved from one piece of stone.
Above the side entrance to the church was a carving of the Jesuit coat of arms and then mermaids and snakes. Interesting iconography for a church.
Perhaps the most interesting part was seeing the tree that had grown around a big stone pillar. In front of all the houses are columns of about 2m which look kind of odd. This tree grew around the stone and swallowed it up. You can touch the rock in the gaps and it is cold and clammy.
Things I Learned
* There are disappointing sights in your travels
* I`m glad I didn`t hang around any longer in Encarnaciòn to see the ruins over there
* The Jesuits were expelled from South America in 1767 because they were on too good a terms with the Indians
