Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
In 1776 a new Viceroyalty was established in what is now Buenos Aires and the Char-
cas came under its control. The city became known as Chuquisaca (a Spanish corruption
of Choque-Chaca), as there were too many La Platas around for comfort.
The city had received an Archbishopric in 1609, according it theological autonomy.
That, along with the establishment of the University of San Xavier in 1622 and the 1681
opening of the Academía Carolina law school, fostered continued development of liberal
and revolutionary ideas and set the stage for 'the first cry of Independence in the Amer-
icas' on May 25, 1809. The minirevolution set off the alarm throughout Spanish America
and, like ninepins, the northwestern South American republics were liberated by the
armies of the military genius Simón Bolívar.
After the definitive liberation of Peru at the battles of Junín and Ayacucho, on August 6
and December 9, 1824, Alto Peru (historically tied to the Lima government) was technic-
ally free of Spanish rule. In practice, however, it had been administered from Buenos
Aires and disputes arose about what to do with the territory.
On February 9, 1825, Bolívar's second-in-command, General Antonio José de Sucre,
drafted and delivered a declaration that rejected the authority of Buenos Aires and sugges-
ted the political future of the region should be determined by the provinces themselves.
Bolívar, unhappy with this unauthorized act of sovereignty, rejected the idea but de
Sucre stood his ground, convinced that there was sufficient separatist sentiment in Alto
Peru to back him up. As he expected, the people of the region staunchly refused to wait
for a decision from the new congress, which was to be installed in Lima the following
year, and also rejected subsequent invitations to join the Buenos Aires government.
On August 6, the first anniversary of the Battle of Junín, independence was declared in
the Casa de la Libertad at Chuquisaca and the new republic was christened Bolivia, after
its liberator. On August 11 the city's name was changed for the final time to Sucre, in hon-
or of the general who'd promoted the independence movement.
National Parks
The region's protected areas include the remote Parque Nacional Torotoro (
Click here
)
,
peppered with thousands of dinosaur footprints, and Parque Nacional Tunari (
Click here
), easily accessible from the city of Cochabamba.
Getting There & Away
The Central Highlands' major population centers are well served by intercity buses;
timetables for the major cities can be consulted online at
www.boliviaentusmanos.com/
