At Santa Ana, which was founded in 1633 but moved here in 1660, dense forest has been partially removed to reveal a settlement that had over 7000 Guaraní inhabitants at its peak. The enormous 140m-sq plaza attests to its importance. The muscular church’s thick walls and photogenic strangler figs lend a dramatic effect to what must have been a magnificent building, though none of its decorative embellishments remain. The cemetery, used into the later half of the 20th century, is now neglected.
Behind the church, a channel and reservoir remain from what was a sophisticated irrigation system.
