Santiago de Chiquitos – The hidden treasure of Bolivia

Situated in the middle of the dry forest bordering Brazil, the small village of Santiago is known for miles around for it’s rich music culture and peaceful environment. Lonely Planet states that one of the main reasons to visit Santiago is to “see its magnificent church and listen to its music”. Thus, the village of Santiago probably has one of the most widely known reputations for its classical music compared to its size.

Santiago has about a thousand inhabitants, most of them middle class (Bolivian middle class) and a few very poor. Everyone seems to have something to do here, and at the same time nothing to do. There doesn’t seem to be any specific working hours, but apparently the “siesta” is holy. And even though it is during lunch time (12:00-14:00) most of the restaurants are closed. And, yes, there are around 5 restaurants in this small town. As well as 3 bakeries, 6 grocery shops and a hair dresser. Many of the shops and restaurants are inside peoples living rooms or kitchens, and anyone can just walk in at any moment. The line between work and private life is often very difficult to see in this culture, or non-existent.

The music school has its own building which consists of four concrete walls and a note archive. Most of their instruments are in too bad a shape to be used, and even those are still being used. The humidity and heat seems to destroy whatever comes in the hands of a musician in this climate. They have note stands, but most of them are barely standing upright and the sitting facility often varies between benches and half broken chairs. Yet in the note archive you will be able to find an incredible mix of pedagogical literature brought by Western volunteers, and locally composed music dating back to the 1700th century. At the moment there are about 60 youth involved in the music school, and even more that want in. The schools three teachers – two of them volunteers and another one paid by the local authorities – have set in motion two choirs, two orchestras and chamber music in smaller ensembles. They have regular concerts and the local community is most supportive and enthusiastic about their “Escuela de Música”.

A typical concert would be situated in the Church, and old rococo style building situated in the top of the towns plaza. And the church would be fully packed with peoples hanging out the windows. Picture yourself an orchestra of 18 youth playing a half in-tune rendition of Bach, Vivaldi and Mozart to an enthusiastic audience of 200 villagers. Even the boys from the neighbouring military camp will be filling up the church to listen calmly to pure classical music. They will be coming from the camp in civil clothes, sitting down in the back of the church in total silence and absorbing the music like children. Cool and hard on the outside, but with hearts melting to the music on the inside.

Santiago is apparently one of the most unique places on the whole planet. Nowhere else will you find a village with only 1000 inhabitants that has its own orchestra and choir, and hosts international music festivals. The Chiquitano district, in which it is situated, has for over 300 years had Missionaries blending with the local population and creating a most delightful fusion between the indigenous population and Western civilization based on Christian values. In the 1700th century there where orchestras with professional musicians in every Mission town, and they had their own composers. There was even a period of 70 years that this was considered the cultural centre of classical music, according to music researcher Piotr Nawrot. The composers would write hundreds of choir masses, orchestra pieces and even enormous pieces for up to 7 choirs singing at the same time. There was even more cultural activity here in Bolivia than in many parts of Europe. This was the centre of the globe, and musicians and composers would travel out here and create the most wonderful villages with their own orchestras, huge choirs and instrument factories!

The 1878 movie “The Mission” portrays some of the cultural history of these mission towns. The year it came out it won a “Palme d’Or” and the “movie of the year” in the Cannes Film Festival. It is probably best known for it’s music soundtrack, composed by Ennio Morricone. It consists of beautiful images of the nature in the northern parts of Bolivia and the indigenous populations in all their glory. It was partly filmed in this area (In the Chiquitano district) and therefore gives a good picture of the cultural and environmental heritage of the Chiquitanos. Any tourist aiming on visiting Bolivia would choose wisely to come by this town, as it is one of the only villages accessible by highway. Ten years ago a commissioner from the European union went to all the villages surrounding the cross-continental highway to examine their accessibility, and the reception he met in Santiago so impressed him that he decided to invest in a highway to only this village. At the night of his arrival the red carpet had been rolled out for him as he listened to Bach and Vivaldi to a locally prepared meal of first class cooks. And if you by any chance should come by Santiago, remember to take a quick look into the music school. The sounds of syncronized violins, violas and cellos can be heard every afternoon of the week days - from noon until sunset. And the smiling faces of happy music pupils will be seen on every corner of the city, as they walk home with their instrument cases on their backs.