Discovered in the XVI century, the Iguazú form a semicircle of about 2.700 metres (8,858 ft.) with many waterfalls and cascades of about 40 to 80 metres (131 to 262 ft.)
Apart from these magnificent waterfalls, the park presents the beauty of the subtropical jungle that shelters 2,000 vegetable species.
The islands are inhabited by these species which cannot be found anywhere else in the world, like the forests of Cupay and Yvirá Catú.
The jungle and the river shelter some 450 different kind of birds (toucans, humming-birds, turkey buzzards, woodpeckers, etc.) 80 species of mammals (oso melero, peccary, jaguar, etc.) and many species of reptiles, amphibious and fish, as well as countless types of invertebrates, like butterflies.
That is why it is highly recommended to walk quietly when you are inside the park to enjoy the sounds, the aromas and the movements of the peculiar inhabitants of the jungle.
In the Brazilian side there's also a national park of about 185.000 hectares (457.143 acres) that protects the watersheds of the cascades as well as the jungle.
The view from the Brazilian side is better than the ARGENTINA view.
Mocona Waterfalls
The Mocona Waterfalls are one of the most beautiful sights in the tour. In Guaraní language "moconá" means: "that swallows everything". Three kilometres of cascades, about 15 metres high, mix up with the breeze creating a unique effect in the world. Moconá, preserved under the name of Provincial Park, together with the Reserve of Biosfera Yabotí, Uruguaí Provincial Park and the Iguazú National Park compose an ecological chain of about 400.000 hectares which represents a very important flora and fauna reserve.
Several river streams cross it, and it's surrounded thick forests. Its slopes go down gently into the valleys Yabotí and Uruguay River carved, with cliffed edges that offer different and interesting sights and that have a height between 160 and 350 metres above sea level. Two important river streams encircle the park: one of them is the Yabotí rivulet, also called Pepirí, whose volume fluctuates due to the amount of rainfall and has endless backwater. The other is the Uruguay River, which has continuous cascades and is the limit of the Moconá Park.
Ruins of San Ignacio Mini
They were founded in 1610 in the actual state of Paraná (Brasil) by Catholic missionaries members of the Society of Jesus, the Jesuits. The San Ignacio Miní's settlement was later transfered to the Yabebirí River in 1631, as a consequence of the attacks of the Bandeirantes, and in 1696 to its current place. Even though it was not the biggest reservation, it was well organised and administrated. About 3,000 Guaraní people lived there, as well as 40,000 cattle and 1,400 horses.
The Guaraní people cultivated yerba mate and cotton. The Jesuits, disobeying royal orders, taught them Spanish and Latin. In is actual state of conservation it is still possible to trace their urban layout. Important buildings, such as the Town Hall and the church encircled the Plaza De Armas. Nearby were the residences of the priests, the workshops, the school, the cemetery and the hospital. The Mission was abandoned after the expulsion of the Jesuits and the migration of their inhabitants. It was in 1939 that the ARGENTINA Government began the restoration of the ruins. The UNESCO declared the Jesuit Ruins of San Ignacio Miní's Mission Historical National Monument in 1949 and World Patrimony of the Humanity in 1986.
Ruins of Santa Ana
The Jesuits founded Santa Ana in 1633 in the jungle of Misiones. Despite the fact that it was destroyed in 1817, many remains of this important building were found, like the staircases needed to solve the terrain defects.
Ruins of Loreto
Ruins of Loreto was founded in 1610 in the area of Guayrá, Brazil. In 1686 it had to be moved to Yabebirí as a consequence of the devastating action of the Bandeirantes. It occupies 75 hectares.
The first printing of South America worked there. Its architecture is that of the classical trace the Jesuits made, where the church, the vestry, the school, the graveyard and the vegetable garden stood out near the park. The Guaraní people lived south from there. Loreto was a pilgrimage centre. To the South were the ceremonial square, with a chapel dedicated to the Virgin and the house of the widows. To the Noth, there was an hexagonal chapel. The building was made of earth and adobe; the structures were made of wood and the roofs made of tiles.
It can also be observed what was the structure of this reduccion , their watery installations and irrigation system, which have helped us to know more about their everyday life (like their use of glass bottles, china dinner service, etc.). In the Mission of Loreto, that produced mainly yerba mate, due to the existence of the printing, the first publications in Argentina were issued since 1700. In 1984, UNESCO declared Nuestra Señora del Loreto World Patrimony.
