Jesuit Ruins

In Trinidad, the Jesuit Mission ruins are all that are left of the highly organized efforts by Spanish priests in the 18th century to convert the native tribes and protect Spanish territory from Portuguese encroachment. In addition to religious teachings the Jesuits taught cultivation and rotation of crops and new crafts. The Guarani tribes were cooperative but the Guaycuru fled to the Chaco and were left alone once the Spaniards realized there was no gold or precious metal in the wastelands.