The church front
Orange stone with a curving top.
Cremederose — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Geoffrey Groesbeck — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Jery Dino Méndez H. — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Geoffrey Groesbeck — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Geoffrey Groesbeck — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Geoffrey Groesbeck — CC BY-SA 3.0
San José Mission is one of the six Jesuit missions of Chiquitos on the World Heritage list, in the capital of Chiquitos Province in eastern Bolivia. It differs from the others in having a church built of stone, not adobe and wood, so that it looks like a great fortress at the end of a wide plaza. The Jesuits Felipe Suárez and Dionisio Ávila founded it in 1698, with the Penoca people as its first inhabitants. It is one of four missions still in their original location. The church was built between 1745 and 1760 by an unknown architect. From that era survive a mortuary chapel of 1740, a bell tower of 1748, and a priests' house and workshops of 1754. Hans Roth's project renovated it between 1988 and 2003. You walk across a large plaza of grass and trees to face a row of orange stone buildings with arches and curving tops: the chapel, then the church, then the tall bell tower. A big stone cross stands in the plaza. The stone looks finest in late afternoon light, when its colour deepens. To one side, white and red arcades lead to the inner court. The mission is 258.5 km in a straight line east of Santa Cruz. It lies far from the other missions, about 200 km south of San Rafael. The church is a place of worship, so dress modestly and ask about entry times. It is hot, so bring water and a hat. British advice mentions a state of emergency and road blockades, so check your government's advice before travelling.
Orange stone with a curving top.
A tall tower of 1748.
Grass, trees and a stone cross.
Main square, San José de Chiquitos, Santa Cruz Department
Its church is stone, while the others use adobe and local wood.
No, it is about 200 km south of San Rafael, so plan carefully.