Jesuit ruins
Trip Start
Sep 28, 2005
1
55
103
Trip End
Jun 24, 2006
San Ignacio, Argentina
Thursday, February 16, 2006
Miles travelled: 47371
We made a stop today near the Jesuit mission of San Ignacio. The Jesuit priests from Spain & Portugal established 30 missions in the area in the 17th century to evangelize the native population. They also protected them from European slave traders. But, the traders grew in power and eventually got the European governments to order the Jesuits expelled in 1767, and the missions and surrounding towns fell apart. The protection of the native Indians was dramatized in the movie "The Mission". San Ignacio is one of the most well-preserved of the old mission towns, with the church facade, rectory, and town housing still evident.
