Chuquisaca Department

Department of Chuquisaca
Laguna de Culpina
Flag
Location within Bolivia
Country	Bolivia
Capital
Government
- Prefect	Savina Cuéllar
Area
- Total	51,524 km2 (19,893.5 sq mi)
Population (2005)
- Total	572,165
Time zone	BOT (UTC-4)
HDI (2004)	-
ISO 3166-2	BO-H
Postal abbrv.
Website	http://www.chuquisaca.gob.bo/

Chuquisaca is a department of Bolivia located in the center south. It borders on the departments of Cochabamba, Tarija, Potosí, and Santa Cruz. The departmental capital is Sucre, which is also the constitutional capital of Bolivia.

Geography

The department is traversed by the main cordillera of the Andes mountain range and lesser cordilleras. Parts of it lie within the basin of the Amazon River, and other parts within the basin of the Río de La Plata.

Government

The departments of Bolivia are governed by prefects. June 29, 2008, Savina Cuéllar of the Alianza Comité Interinstitucional (ACI) was elected Prefect of Chuquisaca.

Provinces

The department is divided into 10 provinces.

Name	Population	Area km²	Capital
Oropeza	275.765	3.943	Yotala
Azurduy	27.973	4.185	Sopachuy
Jaime Zudáñez	34.640	3.738	Presto
Tomina	38.359	3.947	Padilla
Hernando Siles	37.035	5.473	Monteagudo
Yamparaez	28.797	1.472	Tarabuco
Nor Cinti	71.084	7.983	Camargo
Sud Cinti	24.010	5.484	Villa Abecia
Belisario Boeto	12.237	2.000	Serrano
Luis Calvo	22.275	13.299	Villa Vaca Guzmán (Tarvita)

History

The native inhabitants were the Charcas, who were dispersed along riverbanks and lowlands. Their leaders, jampiris, sorcerers, and priests resided in the capital, Choque-Chaca, which according to 17th century chronicles had a population of several thousand.^{[citation needed]}

The capital city of Sucre

Sucre (elev. 2750 m) is called the city of the four names, each name corresponding to a different period of its history. It was founded by the Spaniard Pedro de Anzures in 1538. It thrived due to its regional proximity to the famous silver mines of Potosi, and as Charcas served as capital of the Real Audiencia de Charcas, encompassing all of current Bolivia's territory and more. Reverting to its native name of Chuquisaca, it was the Upper Peru's chief administrative center and largest city. It was there that the first public call for independence from Spain took place, on May 25, 1809, and where the Act of Independence from Spanish rule was signed on August 6, 1825. It was immediately designated the capital of independent Bolivia, under the auspices of Simon Bolivar and Antonio Jose de Sucre. Years later, the city of Chuquisaca was renamed Sucre in honor of the Venezuelan-born hero of South America's independence, who had served as the first effective administrator of the country (and second President).

When the center of political and economic power shifted north, to the tin-producing regions of Oruro and La Paz, Sucre's importance waned, leading to the displacement of the legislative and executive powers to La Paz. However, in honor of Sucre's historical preponderance, the judicial branch (Supreme Court) continues to operate there, and the city's official status as capital of the country was never revoked.

Languages

The languages spoken in the department are mainly Spanish and Quechua. The following table shows the number of those belonging to the recognized group of speakers. ^[1]

Places of interest

• El Palmar Integrated Management Natural Area

See also

• Provinces of Bolivia

References

External links

• Chuquisaca Travel Guide
• Weather in Chuquisaca
• Bolivian Music and Web Varieties
• Lots of photos of indigenous fiestas, including the famous Pujllay of Tarabuco and the Tarabuco market

v • d • e Departments of Bolivia Beni · Chuquisaca · Cochabamba · La Paz · Oruro · Pando · Potosí · Santa Cruz · Tarija

Coordinates: 20°00′S 64°25′W / 20°S 64.417°W / -20; -64.417