San Ignacio de Velasco, is the capital of the José Miguel de Velasco Province and the San Ignacio de Velasco Municipality in the

Santa Cruz Department Santa Cruz () is the largest of the nine constituent departments of Bolivia, occupying about one-third (33.74%) of the country's territory. With an area of , it is slightly smaller than Japan or the US state of Montana. It is located in the e ...

of Bolivia.

History

The

Jesuit mission The phrase Jesuit missions usually refers to a Jesuit missionary enterprise in a particular area, involving a large number of Jesuit priests and brothers, and lasting over a long period of time. List of some Jesuit missions * Circular Mission ...

of San Ignacio de Velasco was founded in 1748 by the Jesuit missionaries Diego Contreras and Michael Streicher (also known as Areijer). The mission was inhabited by indigenous Ugaraños (Ayoreo). It was partially settled by inhabitants of

San Ignacio de Zamucos San Ignacio de Zamucos or San Ignacio was a Jesuit mission in Santa Cruz Department, Bolivia that was founded in 1724 and abandoned in 1745. The inhabitants of the mission were the Zamucoan-speaking Ayoreo. Location The ruins of San Ignacio de Za ...

, another Jesuit mission which had been abandoned in 1745.

People

In 1996, the municipal government published the population as 12,600 persons. It is the largest city in Velasco, and the largest city between metropolitan Santa Cruz and the Brazilian border.

Languages

Camba Spanish is the most commonly used everyday language. The most common

indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention *Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band *Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehorse ...

language in San Ignacio and surroundings is the Ignaciano dialect of

Chiquitano The Chiquitano or Chiquitos are an indigenous people of Bolivia, with a small number also living in Brazil. The Chiquitano primarily live in the Chiquitania tropical savanna of Santa Cruz Department, Bolivia, with a small number also living in ...

Geography

San Ignacio is located in the south-central region of the province of Velasco. It is connected to Santa Cruz via bus lines utilizing a dirt highway to San Javier in the province of Ñuflo de Chávez. From San Javier to Santa Cruz, the highway is paved. To the east, similar bus lines connect San Ignacio to the Brazilian city of Cáceres and utilized an unpaved road. The city has an airport (airport code SNG) with a dirt airstrip.
San Ignacio is located on the man-made lake, Guapomo, which also serves as the city's supply of fresh water.Guia Turistica de la Provincia "Velasco", Gobierno Municipal de San Ignacio de Velasco

Demographics

Nearly all of the people of San Ignacio are indigenous or mestizo, i.e. Camba. Post-World War II German immigrants have a small presence, as well

Mennonite Mennonites are groups of Anabaptist Christian church communities of denominations. The name is derived from the founder of the movement, Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland. Through his writings about Reformed Christianity during the Radi ...

Religion

The city is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Ignacio de Velasco.

References

External links

Map of the José Miguel de Velasco Province
{{DEFAULTSORT:San Ignacio De Velasco Populated places in Santa Cruz Department (Bolivia) Populated places established in 1749 Jesuit Missions of Chiquitos