The grand ruins of the Jesuit reductions
In the 17th and 18th centuries, Jesuit missionaries gathered Guaraní communities into self-governing towns called reductions, until the order was expelled in 1767. La Santísima Trinidad de Paraná is the best preserved in Paraguay: the red sandstone walls of its great church still carry carved angels playing instruments, and the outlines of the plaza and houses survive. Jesús de Tavarangue nearby has an unfinished church with Moorish-style arches. An evening light and sound show brings the ruins to life. Encarnación is the base.