This post is dedicated to the relaxed lakeside city of Encarnacion and the Jesuit Missions that established it. Read all about the Jesuits in the special post at the end of this post.
I was excited. Even at 5am. I like South American coach trips. Big buses, big seats, big recline and big air-con – so cold I can keep my Rose cool !!! Souni picked me up on-time at 6am. I was set. The hotel locked up my big bag and was travelling only with my backpack and kitchen (sturdy thick heshan shopping bag). Strange not to see any traffic in Asuncion. Like most South American bus stations, this one is 7km from the CBD. Souni was kind enough to park and take me to my coach gate. By 7am I was on my way to Encarnacion. The coach had all the “bigs” but was old – a double-decker “big”. The toilet was smelly – no flush. No change there – I remember this in 2011. I slept the first 2 of our 6.5 total hours. Easy to sleep. Very comfy seats with steep recline. I sat next to a very nice Argentinian, Hernan, a graphic designer, who had emigrated to Asuncion 9 years ago. He was on his was to Encarnacion for work. We spoke at length and he asked me many questions about my travels. I spent the rest of the trip preparing the post before this one and watching some Curb. The roads were OK and the landscape started like yesterday – flat with varying greenery but eventually opened up to rolling grassland with lots of cattle farms – no wander this country is known for its beef. Then I was met by vast fields of wheat and corn. Everywhere you look it is green except where harvest has taken place to reveal orange-clay soil.
The coach arrived one hour late into the centre of Encarnacion at 230pm. I was met by my driver Matheas and guide Ash. We spent the next 2hrs touring the city. The centre is very compact and very walkable, set out in a grid so you cannot get lost. We then drove around the centre and lakeside which requires a car. It was very cloudy with some wind making it bearable since when the sun is out, Ash insists you will cook in a steam oven !!! We saw the following sites: Encarnacion Central Cathedral, Central Park (Japanese Garden, Italian Monument, Ukrainian Monument, Lebanese Monument), Sambodromo (Carnivale Grandstand), Old Italian Factory Chimney, Santa Rosa Shopping Centre (Opened 2022), San Jose Beach & Jetty, Old Encarnacion Railway Station Museum, Silo Murals, Boulevarde of Markets. Encarnacion lacks the glamour and modern touch of Asuncion but it has an easy-going appeal given the lake – more like a country town. There is actually a beach here with imported beige sand and unlike San Bernadino, you can swim in the lake. Lucky for me, Ash decided to come with me to the hotel reception (in my voucher) after our tour because it was the wrong hotel – no booking here for Mr John !!! Lucky again for me that the guy behind reception knew the lady who had organised my stay in Encarnacion and he called her. She was very embarrassed. Ash then whisked me away to correct hotel, only minutes away. I was glad to be showered and sipping Rose. It was now only 530pm but I had been up since 530am and was due for another 530am rise the next day !!!
My bladder woke me 10min before my mobile alarm. Impressive. Dragged myself to the toilet and by 545am I was checked put and sitting in the lobby waiting for Ash. She arrived spot-on 6am with another driver – Miguel – the father of yesterday’s driver, Mateos. The sun rose through spotted pink clouds and mist – a fabulous site as we drove the 43km and 30min to the first of two Jesuit Missions called “The Jesuit Mission of Jesús de Tavarangue”. The Jesuits set up a total of 30 Missions in southern Paraguay in the 1700s and 1800s so we were just scratching the surface but viewing the best two preserved so both UNESCO protected from 1993.
The Jesuit Mission of Jesús de Tavarangue was founded in 1685 and moved to its current site in 1760. The mission was still under construction when the Jesuits were expelled from South America in 1767. The central church (70m by 24m) was designed by a Spaniard as a replica of the Sanctuary of Loyola in Spain and built by the local indigenous Guaraní, who were already skilled masons and carvers. It is unique among Jesuit missions for its Mudéjar (Moorish-Christian) architectural style. Surviving structures include the massive church walls, a school (college), a cloister, and residential areas for orphans and widows.
The Jesuit Mission of La Santísima Trinidad de Paraná, commonly known as the Ruins of Trinidad, is only 12km from the Jesuit Mission of Jesús de Tavarangue, back towards Encarnacion. It was established in 1706 as a self-sufficient community for the indigenous Guaraní people but was deserted in 1768 after Spain expelled the Jesuits. This Mission has a distinct Baroque architecture because it was designed by an Italian but still built and carved by the local indigenous Guaraní. It has two churches, the first small to use while the bigger one was being built. The bigger church has intricate well-preserved carvings on its interior friezes featuring angels playing musical instruments. This Mission also has a massive central square that served as the heart of the community for celebrations and gatherings. The site includes remains of a school (college), cloisters, workshops, cemeteries, and typical Guaraní housing.
It was a short 12km drive back to Encarnacion. After a visit to the local supermarket for tonight’s dinner, I was happily off on a brand-new coach at 1130am for my 6.5hr drive back to Asuncion. This time I was sitting upstairs with commanding views of the countryside under sun and scattered cloud. Lots of aircon and a clean toilet this time. More comfortable than economy class on a commercial aircraft. This new coach even had free WiFi – go Paraguay !!! After producing this post, it was time for a movie with some Rose and olives, thanks to the supermarket in Encarnacion. I was glad to see the bus station, 30min earlier at 530pm and glad to see my driver Zuni who placed me outside my hotel at 630pm.
What a whirlwind trip this was !!! The two Missions were easily the highlight of my 13hr return journey to Encarnacion and well-worth the time and effort to visit. Let me say this. You have not seen Encarnacion, then you have not seen Paraguay !!! Now it’s your turn…
SPECIAL POST:
THE JESUITS OF SOUTHERN PARAGUAY – IN A NUTSHELL
“Jesuit” is short for “Society of Jesus” and is NOT a separate Christian religion but a Roman Catholic “Order” or “monastic following” (like the “Franciscans”) founded by St Ignatius of Loyola in 1540.
On 25 March 1615, a Jesuit Priest called Roque González de Santa Cruz, born 1576 in Asuncion of Spanish parents, founded the old town of Encarnacion as a “Mission” or autonomous community for the indigenous Guaraní to protect them from slavery by the Spanish.
Fr Gonzalez brought in more Jesuits (monks) to organise the semi-nomadic Guaraní into reducciones (often called “reductions” in English but meaning “communities” or “missions”).
These missions integrated religious life with education, agriculture, and protection from slave raiders.
A total of 30 missions were set up in a 30-100km radius around Encarnacion covering southern Paraguay and Brazil and Argentina (as a result of the Triple Alliance War).
For clarity, the Jesuits here are not German – most were from Spain and Italy. The “Germans” in Paraguay were the result of a separate wave of immigration after WWII, including the “Mennonites” of the Chaco region in the far north of Paraguay.
What makes this place unique is that the Jesuits in and around Encarnacion learned the Guaraní language and incorporated indigenous craftsmanship into their Baroque architecture.
All Jesuits were expelled by the Spanish King in 1767 because he feared that the indigenous Guaraní may revolt against the colony given the autonomy of the Missions they lived in.
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