Santa Cruz de la Sierra

Interesting Facts

Santa Cruz, Bolivia is commonly referred to as Santa Cruz de la Sierra.

It is the largest city in Bolivia, with a population of about 1.5 million. It is one of the fastest growing cities in South America. City's population has grown by 500,000 in just 5 years.

Santa Cruz is a circular city, with each neighborhood known as a ring or annillo in Spanish.

It is considered the richest city in Bolivia, with resources and infrastructure that currently supplies over 30% of Bolivia's Gross Domestic Product(GDP).

Santa Cruz is famous for its abundance of beautiful women in Bolivia and is a major fashion and modeling hub in Bolivia.

Santa Cruz de la Sierra is considered to have the best nightlife in Bolivia.

The Spanish language of Bolivia's eastern lowlands such as areas of Santa Cruz, Beni, and Pando is referred to as "Camba Spanish".Their Spanish accent is much different to the Andean region. Camba Spanish uses the word vos instead of tú.

Attractions/Things to do

Samaipata

Jesuit Missions

Climate & Weather

Santa Cruz is located in the eastern part of Bolivia at 416 m above sea level in the lowlands. Santa Cruz has a sunny and semi-tropical weather, with an average temperature of 70F (21C) in the winter and 90F (32C) in summer. Although the weather is generally warm all year round, cold wind patterns, called "surazos", can blow in occasionally in the winter from the Argentine pampas making the temperature drop considerably. Summer usually sees the most amount of rainfall. The months of greatest rainfall are January and February.

History - Know before you go

I find it very beneficial to know the history of Santa Cruz before you go. You could be looking at a historical attraction and not know a thing about it. Knowing the history will give you a sense of awareness and will make you travels seem more real. So, know before you go. Here is a brief history lesson on Santa Cruz.

The city of Santa Cruz de la Sierra was founded by Spanish captain Ñuflo de Chávez in 1560. Chávez named the new city after his native city in Spain, which means "Holy Cross of the Hills," in English.

The original city of Santa Cruz was actually 220 km east of its current location. After conflicts with the indigenous people, the town was moved to another location closer to the banks of Rio Grande. After hazardous environmental conditions the city of Santa Cruz was once again moved to what is now its present location on the banks of Pirai River in 1592.

In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries it was considered a border town as it was surrounded by indigenous groups and was a hub for expeditions by missionaries from the Jesuit and other Catholic orders passing through on their way to the Moxos and Chiquitos regions where they established and built churches.

After the city was moved, Santa Cruz became an important hub for Jesuit and other Catholic missions during the sixteenth and seventeeth centuries. Churches were establish and built throughout the Chiquitos and Moxos regions to save the souls of the indigenous people.

Many of those historical churches still stand today. You can go on the Jesuit Mission tours and check out these historical churches. San Javier and Concepcion are the closest and most popular attractions from Santa Cruz, about a 4-5 hour drive.

During the sixteenth and seventeeth centuries Santa Cruz saw little growth. It was not until nearly a century after Bolivia gained its independence from Spain that the city started to take an important role in the nation's history.

The Acre war with Brazil in the early 20th century and the Chaco war with Paraguay in the 1930s, forced the central government to turn its attention to the east, allocating more resources for regional governments and improving communication.

In the 1950's Santa Cruz was connected by road to Cochabamba and other major cities. Also, the completion of the railway line to Brazil and Argentina opened trade routes, which helped economic and demographic growth.

Now more than 50 years later, Santa Cruz is the largest city in Bolivia. Improvement in routes and pathways of communication, such as Viru Viru International Airport, as well as a immigration, has turned the city into the most industrialized and most economically prosperous city in Bolivia. Santa Cruz currently supplies over 30% of Bolivia's Gross Domestic Product.