Concepción, Santa Cruz

Concepción is a town in the lowlands of Eastern Bolivia. It is known as part of the Jesuit Missions of Chiquitos, declared in 1990 a World Heritage Site,[1] as a former Jesuit Reduction.

This article is about the Bolivian town. For other uses, see Concepción (disambiguation).
Concepción
Town
Church of the Missions
Concepción
Location in Bolivia
Coordinates: 16°07′55″S 62°01′34″W
Country Bolivia
Department Santa Cruz Department
ProvinceÑuflo de Chávez
Population
 (2008)
 • Total8,221 (est)
ClimateAw
Interior of the church.

Location

Concepción is the capital of Ñuflo de Chávez Province in the Santa Cruz Department and is located at an elevation of 500 m above sea level, circa 250 kilometers northeast of Santa Cruz de la Sierra, the department's capital.

History

Concepción was founded in 1699 by Jesuits and served as a mission place for the Christianization of the Guaraní people. In 1722 the village moved to its present place, and in 1745 it was inhabited by circa 2,000 people of the Punasicas, Boococas, Tubasicas, Paicones, Puyzocas, Quimonecas, Quitemos, Napecas, Paunacas and Tapacuracas tribes.

Between 1753 and 1756 the cathedral of Concepción was built (see photo), which still is the center of the blooming town. In 1766, Concepción was inhabited by 713 families and 3,276 persons. When in 1767 Charles III expelled the Jesuits and the village was administered by secular authorities, many of its inhabitants fled to the woods.

During the decade that followed the population decreased drastically, caused by epidemics, famine, the mismanagement of the new clergy and - at the end of the 19th century - by deporting the indigenous population to the rubber plantations.[2]

Infrastructure

Concepción has a gravel airfield of 1,900 m length (Airport-Code CEP).[3]

Population

The town's population has increased strongly in the past decades:

  • 1969: 1,100[4] inhabitants
  • 1992: 3,228[5] inhabitants (census)
  • 2001: 5,586[6] inhabitants (census)
  • 2008: 8,221[5] inhabitants (est.)

Climate

The climate in the Concepción area is typical of the Bolivian lowlands east of the Andes, and weather data from Concepción is used to illustrate the weather and climate of the region.

Famous inhabitants

References
  1. World Heritage Site: Jesuit Missions of the Chiquitos
  2. Olga Merino; Linda A. Newson. Jesuit Missions in Spanish America: The Aftermath of the Expulsion (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-06-11. Retrieved 2009-01-16.
  3. "Concepción Airport (CEP) Details".
  4. "Population Statistics populstat". Archived from the original on 2007-10-22. Retrieved 2008-10-30.
  5. "World Gazetteer". Archived from the original on 2008-10-24.
  6. Observatorio de la Democrática Bolicia

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