2014 South America Trek With The Gants: March 30, 2014

March 30, 2014 - Sunday, Puerto Bemberg Hotel

BOTTOM LINE:
Drove to Bemberg via the Jesuit Mission ruins

BACK STORY:
After a very stormy night of high winds, rain, lightening and thunder we were up and packed to catch a 7:30 ride to our next destination with Mario our driver from the estancia.

Mario helped to pack up the car as we reluctantly said good bye to the people at the ranch that had become our family. As many know, I am a work horse and a person that was born to serve. At Puerto Valle, because we were virtually the only guests for four days, we were being served continually. I have to admit, I thoroughly enjoyed it...but with great appreciation.

The drive to the "Missiones" area of Argentina was slow going. Red muddy waters ran freely up over roads and into shallow culverts that were filling with silt. Our conversation with Mario was limited by his English and our Spanish, so we did a lot of laughing.

The history of the missions is one of joy and sadness. The Jesuit Priests came to the area to save the natives (Guaranies) from being exploited by Spain and being enslaved by Portugal. They did what is referred to as "reduction." The priests believed that if they could build a mission and have the natives live within the mission they could protect the people. Under their protection (not being captured for slavery) they taught them skills for survival in a white man's world. Skills included wood working to warfare. At the same time their was an introduction to Catholicism turning away from polygamy and cannibalism. They learned farming skills and irrigation. Music was an important teaching tool for the natives.

Unfortunately the church feeling pressure from the governments of Spain and Portugal stopped their support and protection. The missions were expelled and were left to survive on their own, being brutally attacked, burned and ruined. Those natives that were able to flew into the jungles survived because of the skills they had learned while being protected by the Jesuit Priests. The movie "The Mission" tells of this historical and tragic time.

There were 15 missions that were built in Argentina and remained until the Paraguayan destruction in 1817. We visited Santa Ana, Lady of Loreto and San Ignacio Mini.

Santa Ana was founded in 1633 in Brazil but because of constant attacks by hunters of slaves (Paulistas or Bandeirantes), the missions was moved in 1660 to the location that we visited. This mission had a strength of using nature for survival.

Lady of Loreto was founded in 1610 again in a Brazilian territory. Similar to Santa Ana, attacks by hunters forced them to move and finally settle in the area that we visited in 1686. Irrigation channels for water were developed in this mission.

Finally San Ignacio Mini migrated to its current location in 1696. The mission had some 4,000 residents and thrived until it's demise of 1817. This mission had Boroque and Guitani influences in style and architecture resembling many of the European structure of the time.

With the history of the California Missions and the influences of Spain, the story and styles were very similar in layout...central courtyard of plaza facing the church and surrounded by buildings for living, teaching of skills and gardens for raising foods.

We stopped for lunch about 3pm before continuing up the road. We had made a HUGE miscalculation in distance. Mario informed us that we had another 3 hours of driving to get to our next hotel. Once we were dropped off, Mario needed to return all the way back to Puerto Valle that night!!! We felt really bad, as the weather was still in "wet" mode.

We made it to Hotel Puerto Bemberg at 6pm. Mario quickly unloaded our luggage and said his good-byes before driving down the red muddy road which connected to the main paved highway and led him home. We were very appreciative and tipped him accordingly.