San José de Chiquitos

San José de Chiquitos, capital of Chiquitos province, lies roughly halfway between Santa Cruz to the west and Puerto Suárez to the east. As the chief settlement between the two, the town is the area's transportation hub, cattle-raising centre and oil explor- ation headquarters, as well as a convenient jumping-off point for tours of the Jesuit missions circuit.

The town is in many ways reminiscent of Santa Cruz 50 or more years ago. Although it is served by both train and bus, with a partially paved highway that connects it to the region's major towns, San José itself retains the feel of a dusty, frontier town, with its few unpaved streets and even fewer cars.

While hardly comfortable, the climate is at least bearable, and the heat is fairly dry.

Sights

The town centre is dominated by the architecturally unique mission church and compound which occupies the one whole side of the plaza. Founded by the Spanish Jesuits Felipe Suárez and Dionisio de Avila on 19 May 1697, San José was the third of the seven main Jesuit missions to be established. The original church, erected in 1696, was replaced by the current one in 1748. This massive neo-baroque structure, although still incomplete at the time of the Jesuits' expulsion, was built entirely by hand by Chiquitanos with mostly wood and plaster. The mission compound, also built in neo-baroque style, boasts many amazing carvings. It was declared a United Nations World Heritage Site in 1992.

The stone buildings are connected by a wall and have a uniform façade, giving the compound an almost military appearance. The buildings consist of the restored chapel (1750), the church, with its triangular façade, the four-storey bell tower (1748), and the mortuary (la bóveda), which dates from 1754, with one central window but no entrance in its severe frontage. Weather and age have taken their toll and, as a result, restoration is an ongoing concern. At any given time portions of the compound may be closed to visitors.

Around San José de Chiquitos

A worthwhile trip from San José is to the Parque Histórico Santa Cruz la Viejaiopen, 4 km south of town. The park's heavily forested hills offer good walking with grand views. They contain much animal and bird life, including scarlet macaws and toucans, and interesting vegetation such as the aromatic guayacán and palo santo trees. Here too are barely discernible ruins of the original site of Santa Cruz, dating from about 1540, and a monument erected in 2004. There's a mirador giving views over the jungle and, 5 km into the park, a religious shrine.

Another excursion is to Cerro Turubó, a forested peak east of town (the highest in the province) that affords excellent views of San José and the surrounding area, with distant views all the way to the mysterious Kaa-Iya National Park, the hemisphere's largest.

Perhaps San José's best-kept secret is the Cascadas del Suruquizo, 4 km south of Santa Cruz la Vieja National Park. Locals attribute invigorating and healing powers to these three waterfalls and nearby springs.