Santa Cruz de la Sierra

Santa Cruz de la Sierra was founded on 26 February 1561 by the Spanish captain Ñuflo de Chaves, who had come up from Asunción, at a site about 220 km east of today's city, as the capital of a new province. He named it after his home town in Extremadura. After his death, conflict with the local peoples and quarrels among the settlers led the authorities in Peru to move the town west: in 1590 it was refounded on the Guapay as San Lorenzo de la Frontera, moved again in 1595, and finally settled on the Piraí River late in the century, while some inhabitants stayed behind at the old site.

For most of its history it was a poor and isolated outpost. Missionaries based here converted thousands of Guaraní, Moxeño, Chiquitano and other lowland people, whose descendants became part of the mixed population of the region. On 24 September 1810 the townspeople, led by Antonio Vicente Seoane, rose against the Spanish governor — the date that now names the main square — and the town supported the long guerrilla war that followed, under leaders such as Ignacio Warnes. In 1910 the town had about 18,000 people.

Growth came in the second half of the 20th century. The population rose from about 57,000 in 1955 to over a million by 2001, and Santa Cruz became Bolivia's largest city and its economic engine, producing roughly a third of the national economy. The city led the lowland demand for regional autonomy, and in recent years towers have risen over the old low-rise city.

Santa Cruz is the capital of camba culture, the lowland identity that sets itself apart from the Andean west. The city has the strongest mestizo and Creole identity of any in Bolivia, with a smaller Indigenous population than the highland cities, and it has been the main destination for migrants from the rest of the country and from abroad, among them Argentines, Brazilians, Peruvians and Spaniards. Its universities draw students from all over the country and from abroad, above all from Brazil.

Carnival is the defining event of the year. Declared part of Bolivia's cultural heritage in 2013, it is the country's second most important carnival, after Oruro's. Preparations start in December with pre-Carnival parades; then come the coronation of the Carnival Queen, floats and three days in which the comparsas — groups of friends in matching costumes — dance through the streets and hold parties of their own, alongside a more popular carnival in the centre. Taquirari and other lowland rhythms fill the dance floors.

Football is followed with passion. Blooming, in sky blue, and Oriente Petrolero share the Tahuichi Aguilera stadium, and their derby, the Clásico Cruceño, is one of the biggest matches in Bolivian football. Every January the Tahuichi Academy brings youth teams from abroad to the stadium for its Mundialito tournament. Everyday manners are warm and informal, with a strong regional pride that often surfaces in politics.

The 2024 census counted about 1.6 million people in the municipality of Santa Cruz de la Sierra, and the wider metropolitan area, which takes in Warnes, Cotoca, La Guardia, El Torno, Porongo and Montero, has over two million. It is one of the fastest-growing cities in the Americas, and a large share of its people are young. Migrants from the highlands and elsewhere have settled new districts on the edge of the city, far beyond the four ring roads once planned.

The city produces a large share of Bolivia's economic output and draws more than 40 per cent of foreign investment in the country. Agro-industry, banking, trade, textiles, cars and construction drive it; between 2020 and 2023 more than a million square metres of building went up every year, and 51 towers of ten floors or more were registered in 2023 alone. Much of the property market runs on cash.

The day starts early to beat the heat, and in the late afternoon people head out to the cafés of Monseñor Rivero or the plazas. The vuelteros, buses named after local animals, circle the rings all day. The national economic crisis, fuel shortages, smoke from the dry-season fires and traffic on the fast-growing road network are everyday concerns, along with the long political tug-of-war between Santa Cruz and the national government.

Lowland cooking is built on rice, cassava, plantain, maize, beef and cheese, and Santa Cruz is where it is eaten in the greatest variety. Majadito is rice cooked with dried beef or chicken, usually topped with a fried egg and fried plantain. Locro here is a broth with dried beef and rice, often coloured red with urucú, and is sold from street carts. Surubí, a large river catfish, is fried as chicharrón, and beef is a staple.

The bakery tradition is the most distinctive part of the table. Cuñapés are small rolls of cassava starch and cheese, the local name for the chipa of Paraguay. Sonso, or zonzo, is cassava mixed with cheese and grilled on sticks or baked in a pan. Empanadas come in many forms — of rice, cheese, corn, chicken, meat or charque, the dried beef of the region.

Chicha camba is the local maize drink, somó is a sweet maize drink, and fresh tropical juices are sold everywhere, among them achachairú, from a small orange fruit with a sweet and tart taste.