Pre-Columbian Era
Like much of the history of the peoples of the region, the history of the area prior to the arrival of European explorers is not well documented, mostly because of the somewhat nomadic nature and the absence of a written language in the culture of the local tribes. However, recent data suggests that the current location of the city of Santa Cruz was inhabited by an Aruwage tribe that later came to be known by the Spanish asChane. Remains of ceramics and weapons have been found in the area, leading researchers to believe they had established settlements in the area. Among the few known facts of these tribes, according to accounts of the first Spanish explorers that came into contact with the Chane, they had a formal leader, a cacique, called Grigota, for several years but his reign came to an end after one of the several Guarani incursions in the area.
Early European incursions and founding of the City
The first Europeans to set foot in the area were Spanish conquistadores from the recently createdGovernorate of New Andalusia that encompassed the territories of present-day Argentina, Uruguay,Paraguay, Chile and Bolivia.
In 1549, Captain General Domingo Martinez de Irala became the first Spaniard to explore the region, but it was not until 1558, when �uflo de Chaves, who had arrived in Asuncion in 1541 with Alfredo Nu�ez Cabeza de Vaca, led a new expedition with the objective of settling the region. After discovering that a new expedition from Asuncion was already underway, he quickly traveled toLima and successfully persuaded the Viceroy to create a new province and grant him the title of governor on February 15, 1560. Upon returning from Lima, Chaves founded the city of Santa Cruz de la Sierra (Holy Cross of the Hills) on February 26, 1561, 220 km east of its present-day location, to function as the capital of the newly formed province of Moxos and Chaves. The settlement was named after Chaves�s home town
