Santa Cruz: Discover Nature and Chiquitano Culture

Santa Cruz brings together diverse natural and cultural themes. In the Valles Cruceños, high elevations, varied vegetation, and diverse birdlife shape the natural landscape; in Noel Kempff Mercado National Park, the focus is on a broad range of habitats. Chiquitano culture is another feature, combining Indigenous traditions with Jesuit influence. This gives you a starting point for planning: would you like to focus on landscapes, birdlife, or cultural history?

Nature in the Valles Cruceños

The Valles Cruceños cover about 13,000 km² and lie between 1,200 and 2,000 meters above sea level. They include the provinces of Florida, Vallegrande, and Caballero in the Department of Santa Cruz. Their size and elevation provide a geographic framework for your nature-focused trip, while their varied vegetation brings it into sharper focus. The region's vegetation includes inter-Andean dry forest, Bolivian-Tucuman forest, Serrano Chaco, subtropical humid forest, and Puna vegetation. The Valles Cruceños therefore represent not just one type of forest, but several named vegetation types within the same natural area.

Birdlife and habitats

Another way to explore the area is through its birdlife. The Área Protegida de los Valles Cruceños is reported to have 374 bird species, including the endemic red-fronted macaw and the Andean condor. For nature enthusiasts, birdlife is a distinct topic alongside vegetation: the focus here is on species and the red-fronted macaw's special status.

Noel Kempff Mercado National Park is located in Velasco Province in the Department of Santa Cruz. Its habitats include evergreen rainforests, palm forests, Cerrado, swamps, savannas, gallery forests, and semi-evergreen dry forests. The picture therefore extends beyond a single forest type and also encompasses open and wet habitats. The park is home to viable populations of numerous globally endangered or threatened vertebrate species; their status may change over time. The diversity of habitats and the presence of these vertebrate species offer two different perspectives on the park's nature.

Chiquitano culture and history

Chiquitano culture developed mainly in Chiquitanía in the Department of Santa Cruz. It combines the traditions of the Indigenous Chiquitano people with Jesuit influence, introduced in the 17th and 18th centuries. This timeframe places the influence in its historical context, while Chiquitano traditions form the other part of this connection. This gives the cultural history a specific regional and historical context.

Bolivia in a broader cultural context

Bolivia's historical heritage in Chiquitanía includes six preserved Jesuit missions: San Francisco Javier, Concepción, Santa Ana, San Miguel, San Rafael, and San José. In Chiquitanía, Jesuits and the Indigenous communities associated with them combined European architecture with local traditions. The missions and this architectural fusion offer another perspective on Bolivia's cultural heritage.

Tiwanaku in Bolivia also offers a distinct architectural point of reference: the ceremonial center's monumental stone structures are preserved in protected archaeological zones. Public religious spaces include the semi-subterranean temple, the Kalasasaya Temple, the Akapana Pyramid, and the Pumapunku Pyramid.

Discover more destinations: Andrés Ibáñez, Ignacio Warnes, José Miguel De Velasco, Ñuflo De Chávez, Guarayos, Chiquitos Province, Cordillera, Sara, Buena Vista, Vallegrande, Germán Busch Province, Florida Province, Barraca Víbora, La Guardia, Ángel Sandoval.

Return to the main travel overview: Bolivia.