San José de Chiquitos

San José de Chiquitos, or simply San José, is the capital of Chiquitos Province in the Santa Cruz Department, Bolivia. A former Jesuit Reduction, it is part of the Jesuit Missions of the Chiquitos, which was declared a World Heritage Site in 1990.
The ruins of the mission of San Juan Bautista, one of the Jesuit Missions of the Chiquitos, lie near the village of San Juan de Taperas in San José de Chiquitos Municipality.

History

In 1698, the mission of San José was founded by Jesuit missionaries Felipe Suárez and Fr. Dionisio Ávila. The mission hosted the Penoqui Indians.

Languages

Today, Camba Spanish is the most commonly used everyday language. In the past, the Penoqui dialect of Chiquitano was spoken at the mission of San José de Chiquitos.