Trinidad

Trinidad, city, northeastern Bolivia. It lies in the Moxos (Mojos) Plains, an ancient lake bed stretching eastward from the foothills of the Andean eastern cordillera. In 1686 Jesuits led by Father Cipriano Barrace founded a mission at the present site of the city, naming it Trinidad (“Trinity”) for the Feast of the Most Holy Trinity. During the annual celebration of the feast, residents wear elaborate feather headdresses and masks and partake in traditional dancing, accompanied by live music.

Trinidad has become a busy commercial centre for sugarcane, rice, and beef (from the surrounding cattle farms) production and has a growing tourist sector because of its proximity to rainforests and the Mamoré River. Two large natural areas, Ríos Blanco y Negro Wildlife Reserve and Noel Kempff Mercado National Park—the latter designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2000—lie to the east of the city.

Trinidad is the seat of the Mariscal Jose Ballivián Bolivian University (1967). Roads connect the city to Santa Cruz, La Paz, and Puerto Ballivián (5 miles [8 km] west-northwest on the Mamoré River). The city is surrounded by a road that also serves as a dike. Trinidad suffered severe flooding in 2007. The city has an airport. Pop. (2001) 75,540; (2010 prelim.) 92,600.