Encarnación & the Jesuit Ruins
Encarnación is located in the far south of Paraguay, just across the border from Posadas, Argentina. Some of the earliest European settlement of this region was done by Jesuit missionaries, who built several dozen communities in the area. Paraguay, Argentina, and Brazil all have a good number of sites to visit in this area. When the Spanish took over, the Jesuits were forced to leave, but the ruins of the cities they built are well preserved and interesting to visit. I was a bit amazed by how intact the sites are, since on my previous trips to Peru most of the Incan sites had been stripped down and the stones used in Catholic cathedrals in the Spanish colonial towns there.
In Paraguay, the most famous site is called Trinidad and is easy to visit on a local bus. The entrance ticket is valid for two other sites as well, and an occasional minibus for locals can give a ride from the service station on the main route to Jesus, where another good ruin site is located. I didn’t take advantage, but guides are available at the entrances for a few dollars.
