Ujarras
From Lankester Garden the road continues to Paraiso, and seven kilometers further comes to Ujarras. The main attraction here is the church ruin, 1.5 kilometers south of the main road in what was once the center of the village. Only the massive outer walls of the village church remain standing. Formerly known as La Iglesia de Nuestra Senora de la Limpia Concepci6n (Church of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception), it was built on the spot where the Virgin Mary miraculously appeared on a tree trunk to a young Indian fisherman. When the fisherman, with the help of his friends, tried to move the trunk to Ujarras, he discovered it was so heavy that all of the fishermen together were unable to budge it. They took that to be a heavenly sign to build a church dedicated to the Virgin Mary on that very spot.
The church was built of native limestone between 1681 and 1693, in classic Spanish Colonial style. For many years it housed the miracle-working picture of the Virgin. The picture was subsequently moved to the parish church in Paraiso. When threatened by the notorious English pirate Morgan in 1666, the villagers took the likeness into battle with them and believe it helped them vanquish Morgan and his not-so-merry men. In 1725, the picture was credited with another miracle, and is believed to have saved the village when church bells began inexplicably to ring, warning the inhabitants of a flood. When a second flood occurred in 1833, the power of the Virgin was apparently exhausted, and the village and its church were inundated and later abandoned. The village was eventually rebuilt on higher ground.
The ruin was declared a national monument in 1920. A short time later, a lovely garden containing coffee plants, banana trees, flowers and other exotic plants was laid out around it.
Ujarras also has two balnearios (swimming pools). One – with a smaller pool – is directly opposite the entrance to the church. The other, with a larger pool, is on the banks of a lake one kilometer from the church ruin. The amusement area in which the pool is located is called Paradero Lagustre Charrara and is popular for its picnic grounds, restaurants and boat rentals.
