Santa María La Mayor

One can get there from San Javier travelling down provincial route No. 2 and passing by Itacaruaré or, othenwise, from Concepción de la Sierra.
This town was founded in 1636, but Indian attacks forced it to move to its current location in 1637. It was undergoing a period of strong development when the Jesuits were expelled from these lands in 1768. The walls of the lodgings of the members of the religious order, their workshops and school are in a considerably good state in spite of the passage of time and the encroachment of the jungle. It is believed that these Jesuits were planning to build a larger church this reduction has a unique sequence of small and large squares that differs from the urban plan that characterizes the rest.

The Jesuits arrived in America in the 16th century and set out to preach the gospel to the natives. They founded towns based on an organization that still amazes the world. The Jesuitical Retductions introduced the Guaraní Indian to the practice of Christianity in a vast territory comprising the south of Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and the Argentine litoral. The use of duly planned Indian labor enabled the creation of a firm economic base that gave rise to many conflicts over the possession of the native workers. This experience came to an end with the expulsion of the Jesuits from the country in 1768. The thirty towns they had created became disconnected with the organization of the different nation-states. Most of these towns were destroyed, but in our country one can still appreciate their magnificence in the ruins of the Reductions of San Ignacio, Loreto, Santa María and Santa Ana in the Province of Misiones and Yapeyú, Santo Tomé and San Carlos in the province of Corrientes. They were declared part of the World´s Historical Heritage by the UNESCO. In every case there are museums that harbor many remnants of these reductions that were gathered during the excavation work carried out in the area.