Festivals

Folk Tradition: Festivals, Textiles, Music and Dance

Bolivia's multi ethnic background stems from its indigenous roots as well as from Spanish colonisation and later African, Asian and European immigration. The mixture of beliefs and religions coupled with the rugged territory to which all these peoples have had to adapt, has given rise to a deep and rich folk heritage.

This heritage comes to life in the multitude of festivals celebrated in Bolivia year round; in the distinctive textiles -the most important form of creative expression in rural parts of the country- in the hats, the crafts, and in this country's exceptional musical tradition.

We will keep a watchful eye over festivals and build them into your visit whenever possible.

The flatlands of Bolivia are little known to the foreign visitor. Northeast of Santa Cruz de la Sierra, bordering the Mato Grosso of Brazil to the north, and the Paraguayan Chaco to the south lies a vast, sprawling and sparsely populated area known as Chiquitos.   The area, mainly given to cattle ranching is seemingly of little interest to the traveller.

But this part of Bolivia has a fascinating history and a precious heritage. Here stand 6 mission churches, completely restored, of the 10 founded by the Jesuits in the 17 th century. They have been completely restored giving testimony of the splendour of the time, and they still constitute the centre of community life, much like during the Jesuit times.  

What is more interesting is that it is the home of the only Archive of Missional Music in the Americas. During the churches restoration, an archive of 16 th century music composed in the missions and forgotten for centuries was discovered,   triggering a unique musical revival in one of the poorest regions in America.  

Bolivian and foreign musicologists started years ago to transcribe and interpret this missional music. Remarkable pieces such as the Requiem Chiquitano, Misa Encarnacion and Nocturnos all from Chiquitos, have come into the repertoire of   many orchestras.

This led to the establishment of the International Renaissance and Baroque American Music Festival that takes place during two weeks, every two years in the churches of the old Chiquito Mission towns and in Santa Cruz.   This has helped to create consciousness and pride among the local people on their heritage and traditions. It has also led to the creation of orchestras and choruses in some of the most remote and poorest villages in the Bolivian jungle.

The high artistic level and the deep cultural meaning of the works made UNESCO to declare the Patrimony of Humanity the towns of San Javier, Concepción, San Miguel, San Rafael, Santa Ana and San José de Chiquitos in 1991.

The 6th International Renaissance and Baroque American Music Festival "Jesuistic Missions of Chiquitania", will take place from April, 28 th to May, 5 th of 2006

At Aracari, we offer you the possibility of witnessing this wonderful festival which takes place simultaneously in Santa Cruz de la Sierra and the Chiquitos villages, with the participation of Baroque music orchestras from around the world.

Our itinerary will transport you to the age of the Missions and will provide enough time to attend the concerts and visit the villages and churches. You will be able to appreciate the region's architecture, its landscape with vast, flat, tropical plains, and smooth undulations known as "lomeríos."