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San José de Chiquitos is one of the former Jesuit Missions of Chiquitos and is located 266 km east of Santa Cruz de la Sierra toward the Brazilian border.
This village can be reached today by train, “El ferroviaria oriental” ( 7 hours from Santa Cruz), or by a road linking Santa Cruz to San José which will be totally asphalted during 2010 ( 3 hours drive).
A 2 hours flight by “Avioneta” is another, though not very eco-friendly, means of travel from Santa Cruz.
San José de Chiquitos was founded in 1697 by the Jesuit fathers Felipe Suarez and Dionisio de Avila.
The mission was founded in 1561 by captain Nutlo de Chavèz a few kilometres away at a site called Santa Cruz “La Vieja”. The First inhabitants were Samaros and Pinocas indians.
Santa cruz was inhabited for 15 years and then moved to its present location.
Geographically, San José de Chiquitos ( elev. 300 m), is located on the “Bosque seco Chiquitano” which is one of the driest forests on earth. This forest is located at the crossroads between the Amazon Basin in the north, the Chaco in the south and the Pantanal in the west.
The climate is agreeable year round with average summer (Oct-April) temperatures between 26 to 33° C. and average winter ( May- Sept) temperatures from 14 to 30° C. The rainy season is usually between December and February, but over the past years, the climate has been more erratic.
In 1990, UNESCO registered the entire Jesuit development at San José as a world heritage site.
According to the UNESCO, San José contains one of the most interesting Jesuit Réductions in the Chiquitos area with four chapels intended for processions at each corner of the Plaza.
Today, remain a church from 1731, a mortuary chapel, a church tower dated 1748 and a Father’s House from 1754. The façade of the whole building, built of stone, brick, is highly original and the only one of this style in the Chiquitos missions.
This Jesuit settlement is the oldest in the area and is very similar to the North Argentinian or Paraguyan missions.
However these last missions are now ruins or museums, while San José church still celebrates mass and hosts a very active music school.
The whole mission is under restoration thanks to a strong partnership between UNESCO, the Spanish Cooperation and the Sucre Restoration School for Historical Monuments, which opened an office in San José in 2007.
This School trains youth of the area in sculpture, wood carving, masonry and weaving following ancestral methods.
Restoration work discovered magnificent mural paintings and a visit to the Father’s House provides insight into the history of the buildings.
The church is open to the public and visits to restoration areas are organized.
Others points of interest in San José de Chiquitos :
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