La Paz - History

The first people came to Lake Titicaca 1600 years before Jesus. In this time they began to build up the city of Tiahuanacu. The town was 420 hectares. This civilization was called the Tiahuanacu culture. This epocha endured until the year 1200 BC.

Urban Time - . In this time there were astronomers, mathematicians and physicians who constructed the town, considering all astronomic aspects. They orientated the streets towards the Polar Star of the south (the Southern Cross). The next epoch was the Imperial Time. The people cultivated the whole region of the Altiplano, the Yungas and parts of the jungle. They had domestic animals and knew to work with gold, silver and other metals. They also knew how to make arms. They dominated the villages in this region.

After the Tiahuanacu Culture began the Aymara Culture. There were many violations in this time by the war men.

Following this culture came the culture of the Incas in the year 1410 AD and Bolivia was part of the Inca Imperium.

The Incas changed the common life of the people. The people worked for the Incas and the Incas kept the products for the people. It was a form of communism. They transferred the families to other parts of the country to mix their cultures and to let them lose their national identify. The Inca Culture was a very developed one. They built up commercial systems, canalisation systems, production of textiles and the construction of the roads.

Seed was the currency of this time. In some parts of the country this has remained until the present.

In the year 1535 came the Spaniards, the first time to the Bolivian territory. They founded their first population in Paria (near Oruro). Alonzo de Mendoza founded the city of La Paz on 20th October, 1548. The Spaniards came for the Bolivian gold. The people were the slaves of the Spaniards. Everyone over 18 years had to work in the gold and silver mines all their lives.

1825 was the year of the independence of Bolivia. Simon Bolivar was the first president of the Republic. The country was divided in 5 departments: La Paz, Cochabamba, Potosí, Charkas and Santa Cruz de la Sierra.

The second president was José Antonio de la Sucre. But the young republic was not safe.

In 1828 was the battle of Piquiza, where the opposition's General Gamarra, fought with Sucre. The General Gamarra wanted to divide the country. Part of the south would become part of Argentina. But Sucre won and the region remained in Bolivia. Sucre had gone to another country and left the power for Mariscal Santa Cruz. This president, Santa Cruz, founded the actual constitution of the country (the parliament, the Justice and the executive).

Many universities were founded in this time.

In 1879 there was the Pacific War with Chile. The Chileans entered the country at the coast for the salitre and the guano. From this time these two countries don't have ambassadors. Bolivia lost the parts of the coast to Chile, also Peru lost parts of their territory. All the northern part of Chile was Bolivian or Peruvian.

In 1888 came the first train to Bolivia (Oruro-Cochabamba-La Paz). 1921 came the first oil company to Bolivia. Bolivia has great reservoirs of oil and minerals. So the country is called the Poor rich Country.

Between 1931-35 was the war of Chaco with Paraguay. The Paraguayans came into the country for the oil. The Bolivian troops had nothing. The soldiers came from the Altiplano and weren't prepared for the heat. The state had no money for fighting against Paraguay. Bolivia lost great parts of his southeast territory to Paraguay. After this war grew political parties.

In 1952 there was a great national revolution. The revolutionaries wanted the rights for the people of the country, especially for the aborigines who had no rights. After this revolution they won the right to own land and they got money for their work. They also had the right to vote and the right for education.

But in 1964 there was a military revolution. This dictators ruled until 1980. The last dictator was General Hugo Banzer. Banzer proclaimed elections in 1980.