| Official Name: | San Miguel de Velasco |
| Native Name: | Samiñéere (Migueleño Chiquitano) |
| Pushpin Map: | Bolivia |
| Pushpin Mapsize: | 300 |
| Pushpin Label Position: | bottom |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in Bolivia |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Bolivia |
| Subdivision Type1: | Department |
| Subdivision Name1: | Santa Cruz Department |
| Subdivision Type2: | Province |
| Subdivision Name2: | José Miguel de Velasco Province |
| Subdivision Type3: | Municipality |
| Subdivision Name3: | San Miguel Municipality |
| Subdivision Type4: | Canton |
| Subdivision Name4: | San Miguel Canton |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Population As Of: | 2001 |
| Population Total: | 4,484 |
| Timezone: | BOT |
| Utc Offset: | -4 |
| Coordinates: | -16.6986°N -60.9681°W |
San Miguel de Velasco (pronounced as /es/, Migueleño Chiquitano: pronounced as /[samĩˈj̃ɛːɾɛ̥]/) or simply San Miguel is a town in the Santa Cruz Department, Bolivia. It is the capital of San Miguel Municipality, the second municipal section of José Miguel de Velasco Province. It is known as part of the Jesuit Missions of the Chiquitos, which was declared a World Heritage Site in 1990,[1] as a former Jesuit Reduction. The wood and adobe church has an elaborate interior.
At the time of census 2001 it had a population of 4,484.[2]
It is served by San Miguel South Airport.
In 1721, the mission of San Miguel was founded by the Jesuit missionary Felipe Suárez after San Rafael had grown too large.[3] [4]
San Miguel de Velasco is home to the speakers of Migueleño Chiquitano, a critically endangered variety of the Chiquitano language which is now remembered only by several dozen elderly people.[5] [6] Camba Spanish is the most commonly used everyday language.[7]
In San Miguel de Velasco, Catholic homilies are traditionally recited in an early form of Migueleño Chiquitano on certain religious occasions. This practice can be traced back to the Jesuit reductions of the 18th century, and the texts of the homilies have been transmitted (both orally and in the written form) across generations.[8] The homilies have been extensively studied by Severin Parzinger, who has published a compilation thereof.[9]