Today we visited the area around Obera. The province Obera is in is called Misiones. It named for the many Jesuit missions that were built in the 17th century. The Jesuits built the missions for the native Guarani people. While the goal was to convert the Guarani to Christianity, the Jesuits did it in a respectful and peaceful manner. The missions were run as an almost utopia where the Guarani would have shelter, protection from slavers, learn trades, and get a basic education. The Jesuits would also teach the Guarani the European ways of art, architecture, and music. What developed out of the missions were a Guarani Baroque style of art. Anyway, the Jesuits were kicked out of the area because Spain felt they had too much influence over the Guarani and that they were not as loyal to the Spanish crown as the should have been. By the early 19th century the missions were abandoned and fell to ruin. We were able to visit two today. Nuestra Senora De Loreto was destroyed to the point that the jungle had taken it over. The last couple of years the government has been excavating and reclaiming it from the jungle. The second mission we visited was San Ignacio Mini, which was in much better shape and gave us an idea of what it would have looked like back in the 18th century. We all enjoyed exploring both sites. We also visited Parque Tematico De La Cruz. It is a huge metal cross surrounded by the jungle, some restaurants, and butterfly house. We could not go up to the top of the cross because it was raining and the view would have been terrible. It rained the whole day, which was the only bummer. The kids are doing great. Amy is struggling a little bit as she threw her back out the other day. She is a trooper and not letting it hold her back!