© Fabián Dejtiar
On the banks of the Amazonian river Piraí, the rings and canals of Santa Cruz de la Sierra not only enclose buildings of Bolivia’s contemporary and modern architecture (curious examples of formalist rationalism, brutalism, and postmodernism are evident here) but also include a part of its diverse ancient and everyday architecture: from a historic center with endless arcades and colonial mansions to local markets and sheds such as the pahuichi cruceño.
On the occasion of the Latin American Architecture Students Meeting (ELEA) where we were invited to provide on-site coverage, we encountered ten of these places that can help you get a general overview of the city and its heterogeneous architecture.