When reading the chapters of Candide in which Candide encounters the indigenous peoples in Paraguay, I was reminded of the stories Marquez's characters recount in One Hundred Years of Solitude.
In One Hundred Years, Marquez describes the introduction of religion and technology as a kind of corruption of the eden of Macondo. Similarly, Voltaire portray's the Jesuit's initiatives in Paraguay as an instance of debasement as well. Voltaire in a way describes the effects of what Marquez is being wary of. Macondo, in its cyclic being, is an element of history that will occur over and over to no ultimate avail. Voltaire describes the colonies and reductions that are the result of this cycle.
One moment that came to mind when I was thinking of these two pieces is when the Aurelianos have the cross of ashes of their foreheads. The mark, which magically becomes permanent, ultimately leads to all of their deaths. The Jesuits, by staying ardently loyal to their religion, were often the victims of persecution, such as their various expulsions.
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Now that you brought this up, I agree that there are some distinct parallels between 100 years of solitude and candid. I think the key point that makes both works so similar is the sense of this unreal plot. The spontaneous magical realism in Marquez 100yos makes the works so blissful and distinct. Candide is so great because of it so explicit and over the top. Both authors use this "over the top" plot to represent something greater. The story in 100yos represent the history of Columbia as a whole, while Candide's explicit plot criticizes, what Voltaire sees, Europe's flaws.
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