Shopping - Shopping Santa Cruz - Bolivia

Local specialties to look out for in the Santa Cruz area include Baroque-style wood carvings, ceremonial masks and high-quality hammocks hand-woven in indigenous villages. Try and buy from one of the many shops who work directly with indigenous producers to ensure they get a fare price. Just a block from the main plaza you’ll find Paseo Artesanal ‘La Recova’ Unarcruz, a scenic passageway with huts selling carvings masks, leather work, silver, jewelery and other artesanía from the surrounding area. There’s a small, leafy courtyard at the end where you can grab a coffee or visit the information kiosk.

UNIARTE (Unión de Artesanos de la Tierra), opposite Mercado Florida, (Ca. Florida 555. Tel: 3-364-8914/330-2995, Cel: 7088-6942, URL: www.uniarte.org) is a local artisan association that supports indigenous communities across the lowlands. Here you can buy embroidered textile pieces, hammocks, ceramic ornaments and colorful paintings and carvings.

Arte Campo (Ca. Monseñor Salvatierra 407. Tel: 3-334-1843, URL: www.salvatierraimports.com/artists_arte_campo.htm) is another artisan association who works with village cooperatives from across Santa Cruz. It sells a selection of weavings including bags, placemats and colorful hammocks. There’s also a large selection of ceramics and intricate wood carvings.

Ichepe Usaka (Ca. Suárez de Figueroa 40, between Independencia and René Moreno. Tel: 3-330-2736) sells good-quality indigenous artesanía, including textiles and weavings. At the Centro de Arte y Cultura Guaraní Nandereko Nomai (Ca. Junín 229) you can buy intricate textiles produced by local Guaraní women and masks created by the male villagers. There are a number of souvenir-type shops around the intersection of Calle Independencia and Calle Ingavia, where you can find carvings from the Chiquitania region amongst the tat.

Books and Maps
Lewy Libros (Ca. Junín 229. Tel: 3-336-0709) stocks a number of English-language titles and guidebooks, and has a great range of literature and factual volumes in Spanish. Los Amigos del Libro (Ca. Ingavi near Av. René Moreno. Tel: 3-332-7937) is also good for English language books and magazines, as well as Bolivian titles. For city maps, go to any of the liberías around town and ask for a plano de ciudad.

Camping Gear
Importadora Daher sells a range of camping gear and has two stores in the city center (Ca. Florida 221. Tel: 3-333-0980 and Ca. Colón 210. Tel: 3-336-3410).

Location
Santa Cruz, Bolivia

Shopping