Ruined Jesuit missions & the Ibera wetlands

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From Iguazu falls we followed the Parana river, which forms the border between Paraguay and Argentina, to the small town of San Ignacio. Along with old pick-up trucks and dirt roads the town also has the restored ruins of a Jesuit mission, abandoned and lost to the jungle in 1798. The restoration had cleared the trees and rebuilt most of the buildings with the original stone. It clearly showed how the settlement would have been back then, when 4000 indigenous people moved from the jungle to live with the Jesuit priests and farm the land.

We visited 2 other ruined missions in the area. Neither had seen the level of restoration that San Ignacio had but the collapsed building, overgrown with trees, were still visible. We felt like explorers rediscovering the lost sites and by using what we had learnt at San Ignacio were able to visualize how things would have been.

Our next destination was the Ibera wetlands and due to a missed connection and an 8 hour wait for the next bus, it seemed to take forever to reach.

The wetlands are home to a huge amount of wildlife which all seemed quite at ease with human presence. As our guide took us around in a boat, the animals and birds he pointed out barely stirred as we drifted by. We got to see crocodiles and capybaras (big rodents the size of a large dog) up close and hundreds of different types of birds.

We went on a horse ride one morning which was fun but we didn't see much wildlife. However the guided walk in the afternoon took us under a group of sleeping howler monkeys.

To break up the journey from the wetlands to our next destination in North-West Argentina, we popped into the last resting place of Gauchito Gil. This colorful character was the leader of a robber gang who took from the rich and shared with the poor. All over Argentina's highways there are small shrines to him as he gives good luck to travellers. So it seemed appropriate to visit the largest one sited just outside a town called Mercedes where he was buried. The shrine is full of wedding dresses, T-shirts, shotguns, knives and thousands of car licence plates, all left as offerings or thanks to Gauchito Gil.

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Photos

Restored church doorway at San Ignacio
The site was opened in the evening too, when the ruins were lite and music was played. Very spooky.