The most striking thing about Jesus de Tavarangue is what is missing. The church tower is a rectangular stone shaft rising into the air with nothing attached; the great church it was meant for was never finished. In 1767 the Spanish crown expelled the Jesuits from its territories, and the mission, which was in the middle of its final, grandest phase of construction, was abandoned. What remains is a handsome ruin of red sandstone, with arches, columns and carved details, set in a grassy plaza under the subtropical sky, silent and a little strange.
Jesus was one of thirty Jesuit missions, or reducciones, founded among the Guarani people in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, in a region that spans what is now Paraguay, Argentina and Brazil. The Jesuits gathered Guarani communities into planned towns with a central plaza, a church, workshops, schools and homes, and the Guarani became skilled musicians, sculptors, architects and craftsmen, producing baroque art with their own style. The missions were self-governing, prosperous and, according to many historians, a remarkable social experiment. Jesus and nearby Trinidad were listed by UNESCO in 1993.
Jesus lies in Itapua department in southern Paraguay, near the town of Hohenau, which was founded by German and Russian settlers in the early twentieth century and still keeps some of their influence. Trinidad, another mission, is only a short ride away, with a bigger, better-preserved church and wonderful stone carving. Encarnacion, on the Parana river facing Argentina, is the largest city nearby, with fuel, food and hotels.
Riding is easy but hot. Paved roads, such as Route 6, run through red-earth farmland with fields of soybeans, wheat and yerba mate, and the side roads are often dirt, which turns to sticky mud after rain. Fuel is available in the towns but sparse between them. Summers are fiercely hot and humid, with storms, so choose April to October for a more comfortable ride.
Guarani is still widely spoken in Paraguay, and it is an official language alongside Spanish. People drink tereré, cold mate with ice and herbs, from a shared cup, and a local bakery will sell chipa, a cheesy bread, still warm. Visit in the early morning, when the stone glows red and the heat has not yet arrived.