When working, find ruins from 17th century
Last December I was assigned to work at Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Fast as I could I started looking about the area on Local Guide, trying to find out where I could sleep and what cool places to visit.
To my amusement, I found a hotel (Pousada das Missões) right by the side of a historical site called Ruins of São Miguel das Missões. It is an archeological site dated from 1687 a.c., when Jesuits came from Europe to Brazil, while ago after its discovery. Jesuits came to America to teach the natives about Christian’s beliefs and then, started to built new civilizations. Nowadays it is a Unesco world heritage.
At the entrance, you pay something around $2-3 (remember to have Brazilian money - Real), from there you already can see how marvelous the ruins are.
Going through its entrance you will find a Museum, full of sculptures and memories from natives and Jesuits.
Right in front of the museum, you can admire the landscape. It hitted me like nothing before. I felt all the pain and excitement from all stories it happened around there. It made me very emotional.
You can walk through the entire site. It is very secure and well signposted with information about each part of the land. I took a couple of hours just looking and feeling it. It was amazing.
You can walk inside the old church and check how things were done at that time. Well, sort of, cause many things aren’t there anymore, so they explain in signs what the room meant and was used for.
It is a very cheap and enrichment experience. Worth visiting. Oh, and at night they have a light theater with a storytelling of the last days of its civilization, its wars and daily life.
Please, go visit it!!
