In the hills north of Cordoba, in Argentina, there is a row of old Jesuit estancias, the ranches that paid for the order's missions and schools in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The one at Jesus Maria dates from 1618, and with the Jesuit Block in Cordoba city and four other estancias, it forms part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site inscribed in 2000. The Jesuits ran these properties as farms, workshops and vineyards, with indigenous and African labour, and they prospered until King Carlos III expelled the order from Spanish territory in 1767.
The estancia at Jesus Maria is a long, low building around cloisters, with thick white walls, red tile roofs and a church, and a courtyard that feels cool and still even when it is hot outside. Today it houses a museum, and inside you can see displays on the history of the Jesuits, on local archaeology and on the wine that was made here. Winemaking started in the early colonial period and Jesus Maria wine has a history, though the local industry is small.
The town is better known today for its festival. Every January, the Festival Nacional de Doma y Folklore draws crowds from all over Argentina for ten nights of folk music and gaucho horse-breaking, and the whole place fills with people, tents and food stalls. At other times of the year, it is a quiet provincial town of around twenty-seven thousand people with a pleasant plaza.
The ride is easy. The road from Cordoba north along Ruta 9 is a good, busy highway, with trucks and buses, and it runs through flat farmland and low hills. Side roads lead to the other estancias, and some are unpaved, so watch for loose gravel. Fuel is available in town, and food is plentiful, with asados, empanadas and regional sweets. Summer is hot and stormy, with heavy afternoon rain, while autumn and spring are mild. Leave time for a mate in the plaza.