Chiquitano Guarayo Tourist and Cultural Fair Aug 14-15

This weekend there will be a tourist and cultural fair at the Parque Urbano in the city of Santa Cruz, with 120 exhibitors who will be selling their local foods and handcrafts. Exhibitors will be from the Chiquitos and Guarayos region of Santa Cruz, with some coming from as far as the Pantanal (from some of the Jesuit Mission towns like Concepción, San Javier, San Miguel, San Rafael, San José de Chiquitos, San Ignacio, Urubichá, Guarayos, and other towns) which are well-known for their beautiful art and handcrafts. Visit Saturday and Sunday. It's a nice way to get some local handmade products while helping families in rural Bolivia become more self-sustainable.

The Chiquitania region (the Jesuit Mission towns of Chiquitos) have some of the prettiest and best quality handcrafts in Santa Cruz and they are exported to the US, Europe and other parts of the world.

At the fair you'll find wood carvings, paintings, woven products like purses, hammocks, and backpacks, ceramic masks, all kinds of embroidered clothing, jewelry, and a lot of very friendly artisans. The town of Urubichá, famous for its hand-carved violins, has sent a few violins as well. There is also plenty of typical food to eat, accompanied by great camba music. In the evening there will be a special artistic show.