Bolivia

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Complete guide: South America

🇧🇴 Bolivia

Capital: Sucre

View of Sucre, the constitutional capital of Bolivia, with white colonial buildings

Sucre – Bolivia’s constitutional capital and the seat of its highest judicial institutions.

Sucre is the constitutional and official capital of Bolivia. Article 6 of the Bolivian Constitution names Sucre as the national capital, while La Paz serves as the seat of government and contains the main offices of the executive and legislative branches. Sucre remains the country’s judicial center, with the Supreme Court of Justice and the Plurinational Constitutional Tribunal based in the city. Often called “La Ciudad Blanca” for the white façades of its historic center, Sucre is also the capital of the Chuquisaca Department and has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1991.

📜 Timeline of Sucre

1538: The Spanish founded the city as Ciudad de la Plata de la Nueva Toledo on land associated with the Indigenous Yampara culture.

1825: Deputies meeting at what is now Casa de la Libertad proclaimed the independence of Upper Peru and signed the declaration on August 6.

1839: La Plata was renamed Sucre in honor of independence leader Antonio José de Sucre and formally declared the capital of Bolivia.

1898–1899: The Federal War led to the transfer of the national government’s main operations to La Paz. Sucre retained its legal status as the capital.

Today: Sucre remains Bolivia’s constitutional capital and judicial center, while La Paz functions as the seat of government.

📊 City Details

Founded

1538

Capital Status

Constitutional capital and judicial center

Department

Chuquisaca

Common Languages

Spanish and Quechua

Currency

Boliviano (BOB)

Geography

An Andean valley in south-central Bolivia

Time Zone

Bolivia Time (UTC−4)

Calling Code

+591

Driving Side

Right-hand traffic

🏛️ Historic Landmarks

Casa de la Libertad

The former Jesuit university building where deputies proclaimed Bolivian independence and signed the declaration on August 6, 1825.

Metropolitan Cathedral

A cathedral beside Plaza 25 de Mayo whose long construction history produced a mixture of Renaissance, Baroque and later architectural elements.

La Recoleta

A historic convent and church complex on the slopes of Churuquella, overlooking the tiled roofs and white buildings of central Sucre.

Plaza 25 de Mayo

Sucre’s central square, bordered by Casa de la Libertad, the cathedral and civic buildings from several periods of the city’s history.

Did you know? Before receiving its present name in 1839, Sucre was known as La Plata and was also commonly called Chuquisaca. The name Sucre honors Antonio José de Sucre, a military leader in the South American wars of independence and an early president of Bolivia.

Sucre’s capital status is established by the Bolivian Constitution rather than by the location of most national ministries. The city remains the constitutional capital and the center of Bolivia’s highest courts, while the executive and legislative branches carry out most of their regular work in La Paz.

📖 Sources & References

These references document Sucre’s constitutional status, the governmental role of La Paz, the history of Bolivian independence and the protected architecture of Sucre’s historic center.

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