Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Economic hub in eastern Bolivia
Santa Cruz de la Sierra is a city in the eastern lowlands of Bolivia and forms the economic center of the country. The settlement spreads across flat terrain with wide avenues running in concentric rings around a central square, while modern glass buildings stand next to lower structures with tiled roofs.
Spanish colonizers founded the settlement farther east in the 16th century, before hostile raids forced its relocation to the current position. The riverside location allowed trade and agriculture in a region long isolated from the rest of Bolivia.
On weekends, residents gather in the central area to practice and perform traditional dances like the taquirari. Local restaurants serve majao, a dish of rice, eggs and dried meat often eaten for breakfast.
Temperatures stay high throughout the year, with frequent rainfall between November and March. Most shops close at midday for a few hours before reopening in the afternoon.
The area hosts a significant Mennonite community that sells cheese and other dairy products at markets across the settlement. Some of these settlers still speak Plautdietsch, a Low German dialect preserved in their remote colonies.
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