Jesuit Missions of the Guaranis, Argentina & Brazil

Ruins of San Ignacio
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:San_Ignacio_Min%C3%AD_5.jpg
Author: Dario Alpern


The Jesuit missions of the Guaranis comprise five missionary stations in the tropical rainforest of Argentina, and one in Brazil. They were established by the Jesuits for their missionary activities among the Guaraní Native Americans in the 17th and 18th centuries. The ruins of these Jesuit missions were together inscribed as a World Heritage Site during the 8th session of the World Heritage Committee when it met in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on 29 October to 2 November 1984.

Ruins of Sao Miguel das Missoes, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:S%C3%A3o_Miguel_das_Miss%C3%B5es,_Brazil.jpg
Author: temponotempo

What to See in the Jesuit Missions of the Guaranis

The five Jesuit missions, in various states of disrepair and conservation, are São Miguel das Missões in Brazil, and San Ignacio Mini, Nuestra Señora de Santa Ana, Nuestra Señora de Loreto and Santa María la Mayor in Argentina. You should visit each of these, as they each have a different layout, appearance and are in a different state of preservation.

Facade of Sao Miguel das Missoes, another Jesuit mission ruins
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ruinas-saomiguel2.jpg
Author: Leandro Kibisz

Location

The four Jesuit missions within Argentina are located in Misiones Province, on the narrow strip between Paraguay and Brazil, while São Miguel das Missões is at Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil.

World Heritage Site Inscription Details

Location:
São Miguel das Missões: S28 32 36.0 W54 15 57.0
San Ignacio Mini: S27 15 00.0 W55 31 00.0
Nuestra Señora de Santa Ana: S27 23 00.0 W55 33 58.0
Nuestra Señora de Loreto: S27 30 00.0 W55 32 00.0
Santa María la Mayor: S27 33 00.0 W55 20 00.0

Inscription Year: 1984
Type of Site: Cultural / Natural / Mixed
Inscription Criteria: IV

Related Sites to Jesuit Missions of the Guaranis

There are similarities between the Jesuit Missions of the Guaranis with the Jesuit Missions of the Chiquitos, which are also a World Heritage Site, in Bolivia.

List of World Heritage Sites in Argentina and World Heritage Sites in the World

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