Concepción

The hot, sleepy colonial town of Concepción, founded by the Jesuit priest Lucas Caballero in 1708, is one of the loveliest and friendliest of the mission settlements. It boasts one of the region's most beautiful plazas, surrounded by covered sidewalks and buildings with red-tiled roofs.

The buildings are ornately painted in the style of the beautiful church which was completed by Martin Schmidt in 1756. It was totally restored between 1975 and 1982 by Hans Roth, whose team of European experts had to recreate the building from the crumbling original. The interior of this architectural gem is mightily impressive with an altar of laminated silver. In front of the church is a bell-cum-clock tower housing the original bells and behind it are well-restored cloisters. Hans Roth used to live here and work with local artisans in the restoration of local churches. In the workshops near the church you can see the remains of the original church.

Museo Misional has photographs of the appalling condition into which the church had fallen. It also shows a photograph of a central tower, added in 1911 and taken down as part of the restoration, together with its current clock, which was a gift from Spain. Restoration work is also carried out here and it is possible to talk with the craftsmen and admire their workmanship. Don't miss the Hans Roth Museum, which has tools, blueprints and dioramas used for the rebuilding of the churches and models of their framework.

There is a lake nearby where you can swim and fish.