Visiting the Jesuit Missions: Encarnacion or Posadas, Posadas, Argentina

If you are planning a visit to the Jesuit Missions in Paraguay, you have the option to stay in Paraguay or Argentina. Both Encarnacion, in Paraguay, and Posadas, in Argentina, provide easy access to the Jesuit Missions in the region. Straddling the Argentine-Paraguay border, the sister cities each offer a different experience to visitors. We’ll describe what there is to see in both cities and let you decide which you would prefer to use as a base when visiting the UNESCO World Heritage Site Missions.

Originally, both Encarnacion and Posadas were inhabited by a majority of Guarani people and were in Paraguayan territory. The War of the Triple Alliance, though, resulted in a change of land ownership, and now they are located in two different countries. As a result, both cities have reminders of Guarani traditions, although it is less obvious in Posadas.

The riverside city of Encarnacion has the closest access to all three Paraguayan Jesuit missions and, therefore, makes a great base for visiting them. Since we are talking about Encarnacion first, you would be correct in assuming that it was our preferred city of the two. In fact, Encarnacion was our favourite city in Paraguay. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).