I visited the Jesuit Missions of Trinidad in August 2004. The site is accessible from the nearby city of Encarnacion (about 45 minutes) by any number of busses (about 50 cents United States) traveling frequently on the paved highway to Ciudad del Este. From the highway it's about a 10 minute walk to the site on a well marked road. Food and drink are available from roadside stands. Entrance fee is less than 50 cents in United States currency and there were only three other visitors.

A hugh roofless baroque Jesuit church that would not be out of place in a major European city dominates the site which has been cleared of any remains of the jungle that once surrounded it. The carvings of the statues, the pulpit, the baptismal font and on the walls are stunning in their beauty and amazing in that they were done by the Indian craftsmen gathered into the mission by the Jesuits in the 17th century and have survived over three hundered years of exposure. The original decorated stone floor is still visible and there is a crypt under the church into which visitors can descend. There is also a watchtower which you can climb to get a beautiful view of the site and surroundings. Remains of workshops, housing and storerooms also remain. To contemplate the work, artistry and devotion that went into building this complex in the middle of a tropical jungle gives insight into the religious fervor that drove the original Spanish settlers and affected the native Indians in so many ways. There are no paths or explanatory markers, however, though guides (in Spanish)are available in the summer (Dec to March) months.

The nearby site of Jesus, about 10 km away on an unpaved dirt road off the highway is also worth a visit. Admission is about 50 cents. It is accessible by taxi from the town of Trinidad or a local bus (about 50 cents)that makes the bumpy, slow half hour trip through hilly farmland about every two hours. This site was never completed and has been partially restored and is equally beautiful in its workmanship and setting.