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Bolivia
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Bolivian History
Bolivia was
constituted as a unitary, free, independent and sovereign
republic on August 6, 1825. It is located in the center of South
America between parallels 9 degrees, 39 minutes and 22 degrees,
53 minutes latitude south and between meridians 57 degrees, 25
minutes and 69 degrees, 38 minutes longitude west of the
meridian of Greenwich.
The Republic’s name,
proposed by the priest Manuel Martin Cruz, is in homage to Liberator
Simon Bolivar, made in the following terms: "If Rome is for Romulus;
Bolivia is for Bolivar ". The capital of the Republic was called
Sucre, in recognition of Marshal Antonio Jose de Sucre.
The Andean people are
grouped around two large nations: the Aymaras and the Quechuas.
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The Aymara
Nation basically occupies the high plateau in
the Departments of La Paz, Oruro, and Potosi,
and some headwaters in the tropical flatlands. |
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The Quechua Nation
mainly developed in the valleys of Cochabamba
and Chuquisaca. However, it also occupies
several mountain areas in Potosi and Oruro.
There are Quechua enclaves in the Inquisivi,
Camacho, and Muñecas Provinces in the Department
of La Paz. They belong to the Quechua nation of
the "Tarabucos"(in the Yamparaes Province,
Department of Chuquisaca), the "Ucumaris" (in
the Chayanta and Bustillos Provinces, Department
of Potosi), the "Calchas", "Chaquies", "Yuralipes",
"Tirinas", etc. |
The warm
regions in the northeast of the Royal Mountains and the
southeastern regions (Bolivian Chaco) are divided into:
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The Tacana Group:
Formed by: Lecos, Chimanes, Araonas, and Maropas.
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The Pano Group:
Formed by: Chacobos, Caripunas, Sinabos,
Capuibos, and the Guacanaguas or Guarayos (a
forest group that is completely different from
the Guarayos in the Ñuflo de Chavez Province in
the Department of Santa Cruz). |
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The Aruaco Group:
Formed by: Apolistas, Baures, Moxos, Cambas,
Movimas, Cayubabas, Carabecas, Paiconecas or
Paucanacas |
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The Apachurra
Group: Formed by: Itenez or More, Chapacuras,
Sansimonianos, Canichanas, Itonamas, Yuracares,
Guatoses, and Chuiquitos or Chiquitanos. |
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The Guarani Group:
Formed by: Guarayos, Pausernas, Sirionos,
Chiriguanos, Matacos, Chulupis, and Tapietes |
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The Botocudo Group:
Formed by: Bororos, and Otuquis. |
During the
Inca Empire, the area corresponding to Bolivia was called
Collasuyo and it was predominantly occupied by Aymara
settlements.
The arrival of the
Spaniards in 1532 broke up the organization that had worked for
centuries in the region, imposing a new institutional political
structure, supported on exploiting the non-renewable natural resources.
In order to fulfill their objectives, the conquistadors organized the
territory and founded cities with defined functions in areas that were
strategic to their interests. Thus, as of 1538 they successively
founded the cities of::
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La Plata, founded
in 1538 (today Sucre). The city was founded as
the political and administrative center of the
Royal High Court of Justice of Charcas;
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Potosi, founded in
1545. The city was founded based on the
exploitation of silver in Cerro Rico; |
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La Paz, founded in
1548. The city was founded as an active
commercial and exchange center; |
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Santa Cruz,
founded in 1561 and Trinidad, founded in 1686.
The cities were founded as barriers to the
Portuguese expansion and to control the eastern
zone; |
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Cochabamba,
founded in 1574. The city was founded as a
collection and supply center for agricultural
products; |
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Tarija, founded in
1574. The city was founded as a connection area
with Rio de la Plata;; |
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Oruro, founded in
1600. The city was founded to develop the mining
in the zone. |
Some of
these cities were the scenario of very important historic
events, both locally and continentally. One of them is the
foundation of the Saint Francis Xavier University in
Chuquisaca, in whose cloisters ideas of rebellion took shape,
giving birth, during the last quarter of the 18th Century,
to the environment in which the first cry of liberty was
raised on May 25, 1809.
During the Colony,
driven by the exploitation of silver, and during the era of the
Republic, based on the exploitation of tin a predominantly mining
economy was developed, occupying a lot of labor and with little or no
connections to other sectors of productive activities.
Its role as a
production and export region for non-renewable natural resources,
assigned to it from the time of the Colony, continued until the end of
the decade of the 40’s and the beginning of the 50’s, when efforts
were made to diversify the country’s productive structure.
The re-construction
of Bolivia’s history was aided by basic information that was
contributed by the censuses that were carried out in the Inca Empire.
Production and population records were kept by the Incas and later,
there were the censuses made of the population during Colonial times
in the territories of Upper Peru, give us the most remote national
background related to statistical information.
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