Santa Cruz de La Sierra, commonly known as simply Santa Cruz, is, with a population of roughly 1.5 million residents, the capital city of the Department of Santa Cruz in Bolivia.
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 savages 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).
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.

ALTITUDE AND CLIMATE

Located in the eastern part of the country (17°45' South, 63°14' West) at 416 m above sea level, the city, though usually warm, experiences chill winds that blow from the Argentine pampas called surazos.

HOW TO GET THERE

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.

WHERE TO STAY

There are a variety of Hotels and Hostals, starting with luxurios five star hotels to modest “residenciales” with a wide range in both price and quality.

WHAT TO BUY

Santa Cruz offers a wide variety of Bolivian handcrafts, mostly carved and hand painted wood, elements woven in natural fibers and ceramics.