The Jesuit Missions for the Guaranies is the least visited UNESCO World Heritage site on the planet. There was only one other couple when I visited which is unfortunate because they showcase the Catholic Church's penetration into the jungles of Paraguay and northern Argentina and their penetration into the lives of the native Guarani people. The missions carved out the jungles and housed entire Guarani villages, training their people in European handicrafts, culture and religion. The church at the center of both the Santisima Trinidad del Parma and Jesus de Travangue would rival in size many cathedrals in Europe. In the end the buildings only lasted 150 years. The Jesuits deemed too powerful by the Portuguese were exiled and the missions were destroyed in 1767, displacing the Guarani.

The missions are located about an hour bus ride outside of Encarnacion, Any bus going toward Cuidad del Este will stop in Trinidad. The trip costs 10,000 guarani. The stop for the mission Santisima Trinidad del Parma is a little tricky so one must let the bus driver know where you are going and they will call out the stop when you arrive. The ruins themselves are about 500 meters up a cobbled street road flanked by a few farm houses and a couple small hotels. At the end of the road there was a ticket shop. The 25,000 guarani ticket covers a three nearby Jesuit ruins. At the base of the road folks on motorcycles will drive visitors to the next location (I paid 15,000). Taxis looked hard to find; the woman at the ticket counter, who did not speak English, mentioned a bus as well.