Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Velasco, but also designed many of the altars, created the musical instruments, acted as
the chief composer for the
reducciones
and published a Spanish-Chiquitano dictionary. He
was later expelled from the region and died in Europe in 1772.
By the mid-1700s, political strife in Europe had escalated into a power struggle
between the Catholic Church and the governments of France, Spain and Portugal. When
the Spanish realized the extent of Jesuit wealth and influence they decided to act. In 1767,
swept up in a whirlwind of political babble and religious dogma, the missions were dis-
banded and King Carlos III signed the Order of Expulsion, which evicted the Jesuits from
the continent. In the wake of the Jesuit departure the settlements fell into decline, their
amazing churches standing as mute testimony to their achievements.
Jesuit Missions Circuit
The seven-town region of Las Misiones Jesuíticas hides some of Bolivia's richest cultural
and historic accomplishments. Forgotten by the world for more than two centuries, the re-
gion and its history captivated the world's imagination when the 1986 Palme d'Or winner
The Mission
spectacularly replayed the last days of the Jesuit priests in the region (with
Robert de Niro at the helm). The growing interest in the unique synthesis of Jesuit and
native Chiquitano culture in the South American interior resulted in Unesco declaring the
region a World Heritage site in 1991. Thanks to 25 years of painstaking restoration work,
directed by the late architect Hans Roth, the centuries-old mission churches have been re-
stored to their original splendor.
To travel through the entire circuit takes five or six days, but for those with an interest
in architecture or history, it's a rewarding excursion. If you have less time on your hands,
prioritize the two most accessible churches at San José de Chiquitos and Concépcion,
which are also conveniently the most representative of the extremes of styles.
Information
The major mission towns all now have well-stocked Infotur offices, but for online inform-
ation about the Gran Chiquitania region and the mission circuits, see
