History of Bolivia

The History of Bolivia

Key Dates

• 1450: The Inca civilization, arriving from the north, incorporated a large part of present-day Bolivia and its indigenous populations into its empire. The Incas controlled the territory until the arrival of the Spanish a century later.

• 1531: The conquistadors of Francisco Pizarro reached Peru. Within a few years, they destroyed the Inca Empire, already weakened by internal wars, and established themselves in the region.

• 1542: The Viceroyalty of Peru was created to administer Spanish possessions in South America. Its capital was Lima, founded in 1535.

• 1545: The discovery of gold and silver deposits, such as in Potosí, led to rapid enrichment for the colony and its mother country. This period saw the founding of Bolivia’s first cities, including La Paz, Potosí, and Santa Cruz.

• 1776: Unable to control all its territories, the Viceroyalty of Peru was divided into two new entities: the Viceroyalty of New Granada to the north (1717) and the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata to the south (1776), to which Bolivia—then called Upper Peru—was attached.

• 1780-1781: The first major popular uprising ("Túpac Amaru Rebellion") advocated for territorial autonomy against Spanish rule.

• 1809-1825: After sixteen years of war, the country gained independence from Spain, like other Spanish colonies in South America. The country was named Bolivia in honor of Simón Bolívar.

• Mid-to-late 19th century: For decades, Bolivia experienced a succession of coups, revolutions, and conflicts with its neighbors, including the "War of the Pacific" against Chile (1879-1884), which resulted in the loss of its coastline.

• Early 20th century: Despite revenues from its subsoil (particularly silver and tin), the country remained unstable. Conflicts with Brazil and, later, the "Chaco War" with Paraguay (1932-1935) led to further territorial losses.

• 1952-1964: With the (difficult) rise to power of the Revolutionary Nationalist Movement (MNR), universal suffrage, land redistribution, education reforms, and the nationalization of the country’s largest mining companies were implemented.

• 1964-1990s: A military coup overthrew the MNR, still in power in 1964. This marked the beginning of decades of instability, coups, authoritarian regimes, fraud, and corruption in Bolivia’s political system, set against the backdrop of the economic crisis of the 1980s and 1990s.

• 1967: The death of Che Guevara in Bolivia and the gradual end of the guerrilla movement he had inspired.

• 1990s-early 2000s: The country continued to face economic and social turmoil under U.S. "control." This period also saw separatist tendencies in the hydrocarbon-rich provinces of Santa Cruz and Tarija.

• 2005: Following the resignation of the previous president, new elections were held, won by Evo Morales. A left-wing leader, he was the first president to address the cultural and social demands of indigenous populations.

• 2009: After a rocky start, tensions with the U.S., and opposition challenges to his socio-economic program—particularly in favor of the most disadvantaged—Morales was re-elected by a large margin.

• 2014: Evo Morales was elected for a third term, more for the results of his socio-economic reforms than his anti-imperialist rhetoric, which aligned with Chávez or Castro.

• 2019: After a highly contested re-election and the ensuing unrest, Morales was forced to resign and went into exile in Mexico.