Santa Cruz de la Sierra

Like much of the history of the people of the region, the history of the area before the arrival of European explorers is not well documented, mostly because of the somewhat nomadic nature and the absence of a written language in the culture of the local tribes. However, recent data suggests that the current location of the city of Santa Cruz was inhabited by an Arawak tribe that later came to be known by the Spanish as Chané. Remains of ceramics and weapons have been found in the area, leading researchers to believe they had established settlements in the area. Among the few known facts of these tribes, according to accounts of the first Spanish explorers that came into contact with the Chané, are that they had a formal leader, a cacique, called Grigotá for several years but his reign came to an end after one of the several Guarani (Chiriguano) incursions in the area. …

The city is located in the eastern part of Bolivia (17°45', South, 63°14', West) at around 400 m above sea level. It is part of the province of Andrés Ibáñez and the capital of the department of Santa Cruz. The city of Santa Cruz is located not far from the easternmost extent of the Andes Mountains and they are visible from some parts of the city. The city has a tropical monsoon climate (Köppen: Am), with an average annual temperature around 25 °C (77 °F) and all months above 18 °C or 64.4 °F . Santa Cruz is an example of the influence of continentality (reflecting the thermal amplitude) in the tropics, without the four well-defined seasons of the year but greater deviations of temperature than other places in the coast or island. …

The culture of the department and city of Santa Cruz is of mestizo origin, with mostly Spanish, European contributions and others of indigenous origin, from the Guarani, Chiquitanos, and from the Amazon (Arawaks). The preparations for the Santa Cruz de la Sierra Carnival begin in December, two to three months beforehand, with its famous pre-Carnival parades, followed by the three-day holiday where people dance in the comparsas or groups formed by these groups, who celebrate in style in large parking lots where they organize to have international and national artists offer massive parties. There's also a stroll through the city center for a more popular, village-based carnival. In Santa Cruz de la Sierra, it is common to see dances from throughout the department and other regions of the country, as well as international folklore. …