Santuario Mariano de la Torre, Shrine to the Virgin Mary in Chochís, Bolivia

Santuario Mariano de la Torre is a shrine at the foot of the 300-metre red sandstone Torre de Chochís. Its main door is carved in paquio and pesoe wood, and a pilaster inside combines the faces of Jesus and the twelve apostles with parrots, toucans, anteaters and an ambaiba leaf. Wooden galleries and corridors radiate from the centre, leading to an open chapel, a theatre and two observatories.

The shrine was built in 1988 under architect Hans Roth's supervision. It was created to honor sixteen people who died in the El Portón flood of 1979.

The carved pilaster inside the shrine combines regional motifs — parrots, fish, corechi, toucans, urinas, anteaters and an ambaiba leaf — with the face of Jesus and the twelve apostles. The angels have Chiquitano faces and play traditional instruments. Local young carvers trained in San Miguel de Velasco and Concepción executed the work.

The shrine stands 2 km from Chochís, 80 km east of San José de Chiquitos and 361 km from Santa Cruz de la Sierra. The site sits at the foot of the 300-metre red stone Torre de Chochís, with an open chapel, a grotto and two viewpoints, La Cruz and El Guardián. The annual remembrance runs from 14 to 16 August.

The shrine's single window frames the vertical 300-metre red sandstone wall of the Torre de Chochís, directing the gaze upward. Two small observation points, La Cruz and El Guardián, are part of the complex. The exterior galleries were carved largely by local artist César Lara, with work also by French artist Catherine Pheret.