On our weekend trip to Iguazu, we had excellent excursions planned. Not only did we get to see the waterfalls from different levels (above and below), we actually got to take a boat ride underneath of them. The next day we were going to visit the indigenous Guarani people of the Misiones province. Our whole group traveled to their community on this huge military-like truck. It reminded me of how people travel to different refugees. During the drive there, I could definitely tell that this part of Argentina was impoverished. There seemed to be a look of anger or sadness (I couldn’t tell which one) as we drove past with our cameras out. When we finally reached the Guarani village, the mosquitos were out to attack. We bathed in bug spray as we tried to listen to our tour guide Luis and Professor Manzano’s translation. We did not get to see specifically the families’ houses, but I was very surprised to hear that there were around 2000 people living there in total. We learned about how they know both the Guarani language and Spanish, as well, and that they had two names so that they could travel through the country.
Luis showed us the different types of traps they would use to catch animals for food and products. He also explained to us how the seasons were very important. The month of September was very important because it is their summer equinox. We learned about how each Guarani village has a chief leader, but most importantly, a spiritual leader who assigned the chief of the community. The children of the community sang us a song to welcome and thank us for visiting them, and honestly, it brought some tears to my eyes. I felt bad for the kids. It did not look as though they were happy that we were there taking pictures of them. It kind of made me feel like we were invading their space. Anyway, at the end we all got to buy some of the crafted jewelry that the Guarani people would make from a seed of one of their plants. I LOVED the bracelet I bought, and I wish I had more pesos when I went because I think my mom would have liked it as well. At the end of our visit, I took pictures with all of the little kids. My favorite little boy was the one on the end during the performance because he was so off beat, and he was really friendly with me when I wanted to take a picture. Overall, it was an eye opening experience for me to visit and learn about the Guarani culture, and I think it was my favorite part about visiting Iguazu. 
Luis showed us the different types of traps they would use to catch animals for food and products. He also explained to us how the seasons were very important. The month of September was very important because it is their summer equinox. We learned about how each Guarani village has a chief leader, but most importantly, a spiritual leader who assigned the chief of the community. The children of the community sang us a song to welcome and thank us for visiting them, and honestly, it brought some tears to my eyes. I felt bad for the kids. It did not look as though they were happy that we were there taking pictures of them. It kind of made me feel like we were invading their space. Anyway, at the end we all got to buy some of the crafted jewelry that the Guarani people would make from a seed of one of their plants. I LOVED the bracelet I bought, and I wish I had more pesos when I went because I think my mom would have liked it as well. At the end of our visit, I took pictures with all of the little kids. My favorite little boy was the one on the end during the performance because he was so off beat, and he was really friendly with me when I wanted to take a picture. Overall, it was an eye opening experience for me to visit and learn about the Guarani culture, and I think it was my favorite part about visiting Iguazu. 
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