Santa Cruz Cultural Atracctions

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Cultural Atracctions in Santa Cruz

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Samaipata
Jesuit Missions

Samaipata – Archaeological Ruins

At about nine kilometers from the city, traveling through the old road to Cochabamba lies magnificent ruins of a fortress, known as “Fuerte de Samaipata” (Samaipata Fortress). The Samaipata Archaeological and Anthropological Research Centre has a collection that was found at this site. The collection includes bowls, receptacles of various kinds and dishes, which have been decorated with anthropomorphic figures which date back to cultures prior to the time of the colony, some of these objects are from 200 BC. The center provides information about this Pre-Inca structure. The fortress also has a very complex drainage system, with several water channels and basins. Also there are several sculptures made from single pieces of stone.

There is also proof that this used to be a fortress from the Kollasuyo Empire. It is recommend visiting the museum first, in order to understand better what this site and the culture are all about.

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Jesuit Missions ( Churches and Natural Scenery )

There are six magnificent churches: San Javier, Concepcion, San Rafael, Santa Ana, San Miguel and San Jose de Chiquitos, which have been recognized by UNESCO as “Mankind’s Cultural Heritage”. Built during the seventeenth century, for the purpose of evangelizing some of the native peoples that inhabited the zone, these constructions were made by the Jesuit Missionary priests that arrived at that time to Santa Cruz. This process has yielded a fantastic legacy that has been astonishing visitors since their creation.

These beautiful churches were constructed on wooden bases, many of which are used today as stages for various types of musical concerts, mostly music from the Renascence and Baroque periods. There is also a Music Festival, which was started in 1996, as a means to support, preserve and transmit the musical legacy of the Jesuit Missions in Chiquitos and Moxos.

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