'What is Santa Cruz?' Santa Cruz  

What is Santa Cruz?

Janet from Tempe, Arizona -

Santa Cruz de la Sierra

Santa Cruz de La Sierra, commonly known as Santa Cruz, is both a city and department in eastern Bolivia. ~ The population of the city was 1, 528, 683 inhabitants (2006 official estimate). ~

Location

The city of Santa Cruz de la Sierra is located in the eastern part of the country (17°45' South, 63°14' West) at 416 m above sea level. ~ This city is part of the province of Andres Ibañez and is the capital of the department (state) of Santa Cruz. ~ The city is the largest city in the department of Santa Cruz. ~

Climate

Since the city lies at an altitude of 416 meters above sea level, the weather is semi-tropical and usually sunny. ~ Periodically, chilly winds, called "surazos", can blow in from the Argentine pampas. ~ The average annual temperature is around 21C (70F). ~ The months of greater rainfall are January and February. ~

Temperatures in the year Spring Summer Autumn Winter

21 Sep.-20 Dec. ~ 21 Dec.-20 Mar. ~ 21 Mar.-20 Jun. ~ 21 Jun.-20 Sep. ~

18ºC. ~ - 33ºC. ~ 22ºC. ~ - 38ºC. ~ 20ºC. ~ - 30ºC. ~ 8ºC. ~ - 29ºC. ~

History

Santa Cruz de La Sierra was first founded on February 26, 1560 by Ñuflo de Chávez who gave the new settlement its name, which means "Holy Cross of the Hills, " in honor of his beloved native city in Extremadura, Spain. ~ The original settlement was actually 220 km east of its current location, only a few kilometers south of today's San José de Chiquitos. ~ After conflicts with indigenous people the town was moved to its present position on the banks of the Piraí River in 1592. ~ Some remains of the original settlement can be visited in the Santa Cruz la Vieja ("Old Santa Cruz") archeological site south of San José de Chiquitos (which was founded as a Jesuit mission in 1792). ~

Santa Cruz is connected by railway to Argentina and Brazil, and connected by a road built in the 1950s to Trinidad, Cochabamba and also has newly constructed paved roads to Camiri-Yacuiba-Argentina and another to Cochabamba. ~ It is also the home of Viru Viru International Airport, the largest airport in Bolivia, as well as the El Trompillo Airport, a local airport used mainly by private planes. ~

As the city was fairly isolated until the early 20th century, Santa Cruz has much colonial architecture, including a 16th century cathedral and numerous Jesuit missions. ~

Gastronomy

The city of Santa Cruz has benefited from a fast paced growing economy for the last 15 years. ~ This has allowed for a multicultural and ethnically diverse city to develop. ~ Despite its fast growth, the city preserves much of its traditions and culture. ~ This is particularly reflected in its typical foods. ~ The agricultural richness of the region allows Santa Cruz to enjoy a vast variety of flavours and ingredients. ~ The following is a list which describes the most typical foods:

Typical Foods

- Picante de Pollo (chicken in a red hot salsa served with a portion of rice and yuca

- Majao or Majadito (a rissoto style plate which includes dried beef meat)

- Locro (a very dense, rice based soup containing vegtables and chiken)

- Sopa de maní ( Another dense soup, whose base is made of cooked peanuts, crushed and boiled)

Typical Drinks

- Mocochinchi (this rather strange looking drink consist of sun dried peaches which are boiled with honey and clove)

- Somó (white corn based drink, served cold, very refreshing)

- Chicha

Typical Pastries

- Cuñapé (yuca and cheese baked as small bread bunds)

- Zonzo (yuca and cheese, boiled and mixed in a type of mashed potato consitency, oven baked or grilled)

- Empanada de arroz

+ Empanada de queso

+ Empanada de jigote

+ Empanada de carne

- Bizcocho de trigo

- Masaco de plátano

+ Masaco de yuca

- Arepa

- Salteña

- Queque

Trivia

- The city has a ring-system of streets. ~

- There are many Japanese-made taxi cabs modified for left-hand driving. ~

- The city was home to the first fast-food establishment in Bolivia. ~ It was located inside a supermarket called "Hipermaxi" and served burgers, fries, and other typical fast-food. ~

- A dialect called Camba Spanish is spoken in this part of the country. ~

• Santa Cruz de la Sierra

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