Santa Ana is a tiny village in the lowlands of eastern Bolivia, in the Chiquitania region, and its church is considered by many to be the most authentic of the Jesuit missions of Chiquitos. The missions were founded by Jesuit priests in the late seventeenth and eighteenth centuries among the indigenous peoples of the region, the Chiquitanos, and became thriving communities centred on large churches built of wood and adobe, with vast roofs supported by carved wooden columns. Six of them were listed by UNESCO in 1990.
A Swiss Jesuit, Martin Schmid, played a key role in creating the architecture of the missions. An architect, musician and craftsman, he designed several of the churches and taught the local people to build instruments and play baroque music, which became central to mission life. The church at Santa Ana was built after the expulsion of the Jesuits in 1767, by the indigenous people themselves, following the same style, and it has kept much of its original character, with a simple wooden structure, a thatched or tiled roof and painted decoration. Its historic organ is still played, and the region hosts an international baroque music festival every two years, when concerts are held in the mission churches.
The landscape of the Chiquitania is a mix of dry forest, savannah, granite hills and cattle ranches, with red earth and big skies. The climate is hot, with a rainy season from about November to March, when tracks can become impassable, and a dry season from May to September, the best time to visit.
The riding here is an adventure. The main road from Santa Cruz to the missions is paved for much of its length, but the roads between villages are often unpaved, with red dust, sand and corrugations in the dry season and mud in the wet. Distances are long, traffic is light, and services are few. A dual-sport bike is best.
San Ignacio de Velasco, about thirty-seven kilometres away, is the main town of the region, with fuel, shops and accommodation; Concepción, a little closer, is smaller. Carry water and extra fuel. In the villages, simple restaurants serve rice, beef, chicken and cassava, and in the morning look for cuñapé, a cheese bread made with cassava flour. Sitting in the shade of the church in Santa Ana, listening to the birds and imagining the music that once filled the building, is a lovely way to spend an afternoon.