massive plot hole? - contains spoilers!

If this detail ruins the whole movie, then you have massively missed the point. However, you are right it would have been a good tactic. The final scene with the Native child picking up the ecclesiastical accoutrement could not have been done unless they were near the mission. This is a movie, the rules of reality need not apply. Why would we need suspension of disbelief if they did?

to me, it seemed as though there was more than one way up above the falls. at first, the priests climbed the way they did as a kind of pilgrimage, later though, i feel the indigenous peoples showed them another way, and as for the invading army, as a matter of circumstance, found another way up.

to me, it seemed as though there was more than one way up above the falls. at first, the priests climbed the way they did as a kind of pilgrimage, later though, i feel the indigenous peoples showed them another way, and as for the invading army, as a matter of circumstance, found another way up.

I thought that myself when I saw the movie. I also saw that they would have done more to damage the oncoming army before they even got to the Mission. For example, maybe they would have killed more soldiers during that nighttime raid to get gun powder where Mendoza had to kill again after a long abstaince to stop the awoken soldier alerting everyone. But then the army had Indian scouts and this is shown a couple of times during the movie and they may have shown them another way up that was safer. Maybe the soldiers had taken measure to secure the mountain top so the Indians under Mendoze couldnt carry your plan out. But that isn't shown in the movie. Good point though and I do agree with you.

The soldiers could shoot at them from below with rifles/cannons.

Ha. Good point.

Yes that would have been a better tactic, Mazoldboy. However I don't believe the Mission was actually on a mountain. It's just upstream from the Iguazu Falls. They were climbing up beside the falls.






Schrodinger's cat walks into a bar and doesn't.

You may have a good point in terms of winning a battle,
but the point is that no one wins the war against people
so bloodthirsty and controlling and selfish as white
european civilization for long. Look at Masada, or
Troy, or Carthage. They could may have lengthened
the movie a bit and made it more to your liking of
realism ... but it would not have changed the point.