TOUR THE JESUIT MISSIONSThe Jesuit Missions circuit is a tour that consists of seven mission towns; San Javier, Concepción, San Ignacio, Santa Ana, San Miguel, San Rafael, and San José, although many other missions were built in Bolivia and can also be visited.
The Chiquitania region receives its name from the native inhabitants of this area, the chiquitos or chiquitanos. Here Jesuit reductions (mission towns) were settled during the second half of the 17th Century (between 1691 and 1760). They remain in time as an extraordinary legacy because they are the only Jesuit missions in South America which were not destroyed after the Jesuits were expelled from the Spanish colonies. They are not ruins but villages full of life, with people who still go to mass in the same majestic churches or to enjoy the same baroque music concerts, much in the way they used to when the Jesuits established these missions three centuries ago. The major attractions of this region are its churches, architectural jewels guarded by different villages which still possess interesting cultural manifestations from the period of the Missions. The Missions represented the voice of the Catholic Church in the middle of this savage world. This region remained hidden for nearly two centuries until the release of the movie "The Mission" featuring Jeremy Irons and Robert DeNiro, which awoke interest in the region and made it internationally known. Today it is possible to appreciate the beauty of the religious architecture thanks to the German architect Hans Roth and his team of experts who restored the churches of these centuries-old Missions, recovering their ageless splendour. Another big attraction in this region is the Baroque Music Festival and the Religious Celebrations (Easter, or Holy Week, and Corpus Christi), that transport us to the age of the Missions with traditional clothing and instruments made by the people of the region. You can read more about the
History of the Jesuit Missions
or
Life in the Jesuit Missions
in these articles written by
Geoff Groesbeck
who is known as one of the top experts in the world on Bolivia's Chiquitania region.
View my
Jesuit Missions Photo Gallery.
This photo of the church at Concepción was taken on a Sunday night when people were heading to mass. A wedding was also taking place at the church that night. The Jesuit mission churches are not historic landmarks alone. They are living churches and towns that are actively working to keep the Guarani and Chiquitano cultures alive. For a limited time I'm making this photograph available as a poster or framed print through
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