198 CultureShock! Bolivia
Some have fallen to their deaths. Others are run over
by automobiles.The Plight of Sloths
Plaza 24 de Septiembre is frequently the scene of protest marches
and strikes. When the authorities repress these demonstrations
with toxic tear gas, the sloths have no way to fl ee.Ecologists are lured to Santa Cruz because of its proximity
to the virgin Amboró National Park, which has been relatively
successful in repelling those who would wish to rape her
hidden natural treasures. The Amboró National Park covers
an area of over 630,000 hectares, within three distinct
ecosystems: the Amazon Basin, the Chaco scrubland and the
cloudforest foothills of the Andes. Both highland and lowland
species of fl ora and fauna prosper in the park. At least 700
species of birds have been identifi ed as native residents of
Amboró. Monkeys, peccaries, capybaras, jaguars, ocelots and
the rare spectacled bear make this their home. It’s a place to
become goggle-eyed over virgin rainforest, natural swimming
holes and numerous waterfalls coming from tributaries of
the Yapacani and Surutu Rivers.
Once you get to the park, don’t expect Yosemite-like
amenities. But at least it is accessible, only three hours from
Santa Cruz, just off the main highway to Cochabamba. Santa
Cruz travel agencies sponsor tours of the park.
Santa Cruz also functions as a convenient base camp to the
European Jesuit missions and the ruins of Samaipata. Jesuits
from Bavaria, Bohemia and Switzerland organised indigenous
communities between 1720 and 1760, and the missions
have been declared Patrimony of Humanity by UNESCO.
Seven different towns continue to use the mission temples,
preserving their unique wood-carved architecture.
The ruins of Samaipata have been radiocarbon dated at
around 1500 BC. They are located at the comfortable altitude
of 1,650 m (5,413 ft), 120 km (74 miles) from Santa Cruz.
Amboró, the Jesuit missions and Samaipata are not about
to become Club-Med centres. An enlightened breed of tourists