Posadas, capital of the province of Misiones, is located 1,000 km (625 miles) from Buenos Aires and 330 km from Puerto Iguazú. It was founded in the second half of the XIX century on the banks of the Paraná River just on the location of an aborigine reservation. It is a relatively modern urban complex with some old buildings in Bajada Vieja district. The city has a beautiful central square with local tree species such as lapacho, jacarandá, pindó and petiribí. A few regional art museums exhibit sculptures from the Guaraní Jesuit Missions. It is also possible to visit the Botanical Garden, the Provincial Casino and the Palace of the Mate, which houses a museum devoted to yerba mate (kind of green bitter tea). The city is linked with Paraguay by the San Roque Gonzalez de Santa Cruz Bridge that leads to the city of Encarnación.

The main centers of production and growing processes of products such as tea and yerba mate are located in the central area of the province. These include Oberá, a city located 95 km (60 miles) from Posadas and the second largest city in the province. It was named after a Guaraní cacique meaning "the one that shines". It has over 150 industrial companies where wood, tung and tobacco are processed (the main yerba mate processing plants are established in Oberá and Apóstoles.) Most of its inhabitants are Swedish, German, Norwegian, Spanish, French, Polish and Russian immigrant descendants, which accounts for the more than 30 different temples in the city. During the first week of September, the 'Festival of the Immigrant', that gathers people from everywhere in the province, is held and each community takes part exhibiting its traditional garments, cuisine, crafts and dances.In the surrounding area, there are two nice falls called Berrondo and Escondido, which may be seen from its corresponding belvederes. Oberá also houses one of the most important motorcar racetracks in Argentina where the TC2000, South American Grand Prix (F3) and Turismo Carretera races take place.

In the central area of the province lies the city Aristóbulo del Valle, one of the most important villages due to its tea, tobacco and yerba mate plantations. Only 4 km (2.5 miles) from Aristóbulo del Valle more falls can be visited: Salto Encantado, Salto Piedras Blancas, Salto Alegre and La Olla. In the same area is located the town of San Vicente, especially apt for processing the typical local products because of its moderate temperatures and humid climate. In December, the Agro-Industrial and Artisan Exhibition takes place. The Festivities include an exhibition of wood processing machinery and 6-days of folk performances and typical dances. Within short distance from the village, a wide variety of animal species including parrots, hummingbirds, tapir, tamandú, yaguareté and capybaras can be admired.

Jesuit Ruins
There are several Jesuit ruins around Posadas.
Most Jesuit settlements were located in this region: eight in Paraguay, seven in Brazil and fifteen in Argentina. Some of them appear in rather good conditions but some others have completely disappeared. They are the result of the evangelical determination of the Jesuit priests to convert the Guaraní aborigines to Christianity. This attempt did not produce the expected results so the priests decided to live with the converted ones within missions (reservations of converted aborigines). They had a well-organized urban outline: a main avenue leading to the central square where a big church, the most important building in the village, was located. Next to the church stood the priests' houses, the school, the offices of the artisans and the warehouses, and on the opposite side of the church, the cemetery. Around the square the aborigines' houses were located. The administration of the village was in charge of a 'Council of Caciques'. Three ruins were declared Historic Heritage by the United Nations, Education, Science and Culture Organization (UNESCO). The best preserved in Argentina are those of San Ignacio Miní, located only 222 km (140 miles) from Iguazú Falls and 55 km (34 miles) from Posadas. It is possible to visit the remains of the imposing temple, the vestry, the school, the priests' refectory, the orchard, the square and the aborigines' houses around it. This mission sheltered about 5,100 inhabitants. The buildings date back to the XVII century, and its carvings and architecture reveal the advanced culture of the Guaraní aborigines. Some of the red sandstone walls are 10 m (33 feet) high; the best preserved parts are the columns, the galleries and the steps of the church that reveal the magnificence of the building, finished in 1724. San Ignacio Miní was burnt in 1817 by order of a Paraguayan dictator and its remains were covered by the jungle until their discovery in 1897.

Other missions in the Argentine area are: Loreto, Santa Ana, Corpus, Candelaria, San Carlos, San José, Mártires, San Javier, Santa María, Concepción, Apóstoles, Santo Tomé, Yapeyú and La Cruz.
What is left of the missions in Paraguay are also in ruins with different states of preservation, and are located in the south of the country near the Paraná River. From an architectural point of view, the missions of Santísima Trinidad del Paraná and Jesús de Tavarangue are the most beautiful and important. Trinidad has buildings of baroque features. The stones of the church façade, the tower and the door of the vestry carved by the Guaraní aborigines are outstanding. It also has stone sculptures, woodcarvings, musical instruments and paintings made by the aborigines. The construction of this imposing mission took 61 years, from 1706 to 1767 and sheltered up to 3,500 aborigines. Ten kilometers from Trinidad the Spanish style buildings of the ruins of Jesús de Tavarangue arise. The three large doors with arches reveal Moorish-Christian influences and the high stone walls area also outstanding. Other missions in Paraguay are: Santa María, San Ignacio Guazú, Santa Rosa, Santiago, and San Cosme y San Damián.

In Brazil, the ruins of San Miguel Arcángel are one of the most beautiful sets of buildings with its monumental baroque church, its façade, its towers, some huge lateral walls with arches and doors. There is also an interesting site museum, which holds a collection of statues and carvings coming from many of the missions that have been lost forever. These ruins were the old missionary capital of the seven missions of Brazil. At the time of splendor, San Miguel Arcángel sheltered about 6,500 Guaraní aborigines. The seven missions were: Santo Angelo, San Juan Bautista, San Lorenzo, San Luis Gonzaga, San Nicolás, San Borja and San Miguel Arcángel.