Trinidad, Bolivia
Encyclopedia
- For other places and things named Trinidad, see Trinidad (disambiguation)Trinidad (disambiguation)Trinidad is the principal island of Trinidad and Tobago.Trinidad may also refer to:- Geography :* Trinidad, Bolivia, capital of the Beni department* Trindade and Martim Vaz, an island of Brazil shown on some atlases as Trinidad...
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Trinidad, officially La Santísima Trinidad , is a city in Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
, capital of the department of Beni
Beni
Beni may refer to:Places*Beni Department, Beni River and the Beni savanna, Bolivia*Beni Suef and Beni Hasan, Egypt*Beni Mellal and Beni Amir, Morocco*Beni, Nord-Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo*Beni, Nepal Culture...
. The population is 130,000 (2010 official estimate).
The city was founded in 1686 by Padre Cipriano Barace. In 1769 the town moved to its current location, 9 miles away, due to flooding. The original city was on the Mamoré River, but flooding and disease forced a move on the location of the city. It is located in the province of Cercado, one of Beni’s eight provinces.
Sited on the Southern edge of the Amazon basin on the Llanos de Moxos/Mojos, the climate is hot and humid at all times.
One of the more notable features of the city is the open drains that surrounds every block of buildings. These are linked together by lidded ditches and thence to the local river. These are necessary due to the heavy rainfall that occurs between December and May.
Trinidad, located in the Bolivian tropics, is hot and humid most of the year. This region of the country is heavily forested and many large rivers (all tributaries of the Amazon river) run through Beni
Beni
Beni may refer to:Places*Beni Department, Beni River and the Beni savanna, Bolivia*Beni Suef and Beni Hasan, Egypt*Beni Mellal and Beni Amir, Morocco*Beni, Nord-Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo*Beni, Nepal Culture...
. Like most cities in Bolivia, it is built around a central plaza with a large Catholic cathedral as its centerpiece. Trinidad was originally a small Jesuit town but is now a large city with over 100,000 inhabitants. Its mission-style church was demolished and rebuilt in 1923. Despite these changes, many of the original religious relics, paintings and statues are still housed in the cathedral, which faces the main plaza.
Trinidad is known as the city of motorcycles, that being the preferred mode of transportation. Throughout the day and evening the roar of motorcycles is everywhere. At night cycling around the central plaza is a pastime. The plaza (Plaza Mariscal José Ballivián) is where townsfolk congregate at night and on weekends. Numerous stores and restaurants, Internet cafés, banks and local government buildings surround it.
Trinidad is surrounded by rivers, lakes and lagoons. There are many river tours and restaurants and resorts around the city’s main lagoons. Trinidad is also one of the first five Jesuit mission towns established and these are now part of the Misiones tour includes visits to San Javier, Loreto, San Pedro and San Ignacio de Moxos as well. Trinidad and San Ignacio de Moxos both take part in the International Baroque Music Festival every two years in Bolivia.
Trinidad has a small plaza that is located two blocks from the main plaza where one can see a large stone map of the department of Beni. It is tilted forward and appears to be standing on its own. However, if you walk to the back of it, you’ll see statues of several people holding it up. The slogan under the map says “Beni’s progress will always depend on it’s own people’s efforts”. Benianos are very independent. Although this area of Bolivia has for centuries been practically forgotten by the central government, it continues to progress due to its citizen’s enterprising spirit.
What to see
Trinidad has two singular museums. The Museo Itícola (Fish Fauna Museum) is the third largest of its kind in South America and houses over 400 specimens of fish species found in the region’s lakes and lagoons. It is located on the UAB University campus and is truly interesting. Here you can see tiny fish, piranhas, and a preserved pink river dolphin (full sized floating in formaldehyde). The Kenneth Lee Ethno-Archeological Museum is also a great place to visit. Here you can see exhibits of pottery, utensils and tools, textiles and other implements used by the Moxos culture.Transportation
Airport: Teniente Jorge Henrich Arauz- Lat: 14° 48' 0 S
- Lon: 64° 46' 0 W
- Alt: 509 feet (155 metres)