The Road of the Jesuit Estancias (Jesuit Ranches)
It was the year of the Lord of 1767. The event took place the night of March 31 and the early morning of April 2. After a period of uncertainty that lasted almost a year, the King Charles III of Spain signed the decree that determined that the Jesuit Order should be expelled from The Spanish Americas.

A 400 years legacy

It was for this reason that the "Jesuit State", one of the most successful ever social and economic projects of the community came to an end. Even though its opponents had praised this project, it would extinguish like the light of the candles in the altar of the "Compañía de Jesús" (Society of Jesus).

The outcome was expected. The order was suppressed and the Jesuit model was deprived of its mentors. But the fire lighted by the followers of Saint Ignatius of Loyola - founder of the "Compañía de Jesús" - went on shining. The mark that they left was so important and the legacy so significant that their work has resisted the passing of time.

Their heritage includes the Manzana Jesuítica and the estancias that were built between 1616 and 1725. To visit them is like going back to the past … 4 centuries ago.

The "Compañía" was determined in its twofold purpose: to preach the New Testament and to Christianize the heathen lands. The "Compañía" settled in the area known as Manzana Jesuítica where the Iglesia "Compañía de Jesús" (church), Colegio Máximo and El Convictorio (student's quarters in Jesuit Colleges) were erected. Eventually, the Colegio Máximo and El Convictorio turned into the National University of Córdoba and the Monserrat Secondary School.

For more than 400 years people from remote places looking for science and knowledge have walked through these cloisters and classrooms. People were attracted by these academic buildings as ships are guided and attracted by a lighthouse in the darkness. Under the shelter of the Jesuit cassock, hundreds of aborigines became the first bricklayers, artists, jewelers, woodworkers, and blacksmiths of this land. Their work can be appreciated even today in the vaults and altarpieces of the "Compañía" and the "Capilla Doméstica" chapel. The combination of the aboriginal art with the European Baroque gave birth to a unique style that has been studied by experts worldwide.

In order to achieve Saint Ignatius of Loyola's utopia: preach the gospel and bring knowledge, the Order needed its own financial support. It was for this reason the during the XVII century and beginnings of the XVIII century, the Order created its own means of subsistence by building or acquiring six estancias (ranches): Caroya (1616), Jesús María (1618), Santa Catalina ( 1622), Alta Gracia (1643), Candelaria (1683) y San Ignacio (1725). The estancias were large agricultural/cattle establishments whose main objective was to finance the activities that took place in the Manzana Jesuítica.

The estancias included cattle stations, corrals and paddocks for cows, sheep, mules and horses, fruit and vegetables gardens, fields to cultivate wheat and corn, percheles for grains, tajamar (water reservoir), and irrigation channels necessary for cultivated fields, and for the functioning of mills and flour mills. There were also workshops, such as carpentry, a smithy, a tannery, a bakery as well as lime and brick kilns, and workshops used to weave, and to manufacture soap. In addition, there were the farm workers houses, the residence of the Jesuit priests and missioners, and a chapel for religious services, all concentrated in the same area. Within the framework of this complex system, the Jesuit made an important contribution to science, technology, and the arts of that time. Some examples are the work of chroniclers and historians, paleontologists, geographers and cartographers (who made the first descriptions and special maps of the region), philosophers and theologians, naturalists, mathematicians, architects (some outstanding ones are Bianchi and Primoli), musicians (with the work of Domingo Zípoli, one of the most remarkable musician at that time). The Jesuits set up the first printing press in South America, built new irrigation system to water cultivated fields, and they also began to use lime in construction.

This concept of unique heritage has led the UNESCO to take the decision of including "Camino de las Estancias Jesuíticas" (Road of the Jesuit Estancias) and the "Manzana Jesuítica" in the list of the World Heritage. Such a list includes worldwide testimonies of natural and cultural character relevant to the humanity. The entire world has the right to explore, visit and enjoy them.