Missions: San Javier
Santa Cruz Department · Culture and history
San Javier is the first of the UNESCO-listed Jesuit missions of Chiquitos: 18th-century painted wooden churches built by the Jesuits and the Chiquitano peoples in the middle of the forest. A peaceful village and a lovely introduction to the missions circuit.
600 maltitude
1 dayto spend there
Things to do
- Restored church from 1752
- Peaceful village and cheese makers
What to eat
- Chiquitos cheesesFresh cow's milk cheeses made in the mission villages, with homemade bread.
- Cuñapé and pan de arrozLittle cheese breads made with cassava or rice flour, served warm with coffee in the morning.
- Locro de gallinaA thick rice soup with free-range chicken, comforting and typical of the east.
Tip. First stop on the missions circuit from Santa Cruz.
Also here
- UNESCO Jesuit Missions of the Chiquitos
- Myths and legends The JichiIn the eastern lowlands, the Jichi is the guardian spirit of water, often a snake or a jaguar. It is said that if it isn't respected, wells and lagoons dry up.
How to get to San Javier
Concepción Road (bus, car) · 1 h 30
Missions circuit bus.
Santa Cruz Road (bus, car) · 4 h 30
Bus from the Bimodal terminal.
Photos of Missions: San Javier
More places in this region
Missions: ConcepciónThe most beautiful square of the missions, with a restoration workshop and a museum.
Missions: San Ignacio de VelascoThe hub of the missions circuit, with its lagoon.
Missions: San Miguel de VelascoA Chiquitano mission with woodcarving workshops that are still very much alive.
Missions: Santa Ana de VelascoThe most authentic of the Chiquitos missions, with its original organ.
Missions: San Rafael de VelascoA mission church decorated with mica and painted wood, between San Ignacio and San José.
Missions: San José de ChiquitosThe only stone Jesuit mission, at the foot of the hills.
Noel Kempff Mercado National ParkA vast and very remote UNESCO park: the Huanchaca plateau and the Arco Iris falls.