Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
their arrival. In fact the building itself is post-Jesuit, but the interior contains exquisite re-
ligious carvings and paintings.
Given its age, the original structure was in remarkable condition and the church has
been recently restored. During renovations a diatonic harp, more than 1.5m tall, was
found; it's displayed in the church and is a lovely complement to the local children's mu-
sic practice.
VISIT THE BAT CAVE
Bats may not be everybody's cup of tea, but if you have made the long slog to San Matías then you may want to
take the time to pop in on the nearby bat cave, home of the golden spear-nosed bat
Lonchorrhina aurita
. Charac-
terized by its golden fur and ridiculously long ears and nose-leaf, it is a charismatic creature that has only recently
been rediscovered in Bolivia, having been last recorded in the 1930s.
A campaign by the
Programa para la Conservacion de Murcielagos de Bolivia
(PCMB;
ht-
tp://murcielagosdebolivia.com
)
has raised awareness of the importance of this cave for the conservation of the
species, even making it the central character in a children's book that teaches the ecological benefits of its conser-
vation. A community-led ecotourism project has been proposed to protect the habitat of the bat, though you can't
enter the cave itself. The PCMB website has a wealth of bat-related information.
SAN RAFAEL DE VELASCO
3 / POP 5000
San Rafael de Velasco, 132km north of San José de Chiquitos, was founded in 1696. Its
church
was constructed between 1743 and 1747, the first of the mission churches to be
completed in Bolivia. In the 1970s and 1980s the building was restored, along with the
churches in Concepción and San José de Chiquitos.
The interior is particularly beautiful, and the original paintings and woodwork remain
intact. The pulpit is covered with a layer of lustrous mica, the ceiling is made of reeds and
the spiral pillars were carved from
cuchi
(ironwood) logs. It's the only mission church to
retain the original style, with cane sheathing. Most interesting are the lovely music-theme
paintings in praise of God along the entrance wall, which include depictions of a harp,
flute, bassoon, horn and maracas.
On the main road
Alojamiento Paradita
(
962-4008; s/d B$50/100, without bath-
room B$30/60)
is good enough for a brief stay and has a basic
comedor
(dining hall).
The best place to wait for rides south to San José de Chiquitos (five to six hours) or
north to Santa Ana, San Miguel or San Ignacio is on the main road. In the morning, buses
