The Inca emperor Atahualpa was captured in 1532, and by 1537 the Spanish had consolidated their forces in Peru and securely held Cuzco.
However, it took the arrival of the Spaniards – initially thought to be emissaries of the Inca sun god – to seal the deal. There’s considerable speculation that ruins on the scale of Macchu Picchu, possibly the lost Inca city of Paititi, may be buried in the Bolivian rainforest.Ĭonquistadores By the late 1520s, internecine rivalries began cleaving the Inca empire. Modern Quechua speakers around Lake Titicaca are descended from immigrants who arrived under an Inca policy of populating newly conquered colonies with Quechuaspeaking tribes. Ongoing submarine excavations in Lake Titicaca are attempting to identify the cause of Tiahuanaco’s downfall.īefore the Spanish Conquest, the Bolivian altiplano had been incorporated into the Inca empire as the southern province of Kollasuyo. In the 9th century AD, however, Tiahuanaco’s power waned. The society’s ceremonial center near Lake Titicaca rapidly became the highland’s religious and political center. The years between AD 500 and AD 900 were distinguished by imperial expansion and increasing power and influence of the Tiahuanaco (or Tiwanaku) culture. Pre-Gringo Times Sometime around 1500 BC, Aymara people, possibly from the mountains of modern central Peru, swept across the Bolivian Andes to occupy the altiplano (high plain of Peru, Bolivia, Chile and Argentina). Bolivia remains landlocked, despite ongoing public disgruntlement and discussions with Chile about access to the ocean. Protests and marches, a favorite pastime of Bolivians, are more common than ever, as people stress their demands to their new president.
Morales, a former coca grower and left-wing antiprivatization activist, quickly made his mark by nationalizing the country’s gas reserves in April 2006. Bolivians wait with bated breath to see what changes will be made. They will meet for one year, after which a public referendum will be held. OVERLAND ROUTES Bolivia’s border crossings include Guajará-Mirim (Brazil), San Pedro Atacama (Chile), Desaguadero (Peru) and Fortín Infante Rivarola (Paraguay).ĬURRENT EVENTS With the election of the country’s first indigenous president, Evo Morales, a Constitutional Assembly sat for the first time in August 2006 to review the country’s Constitution. Request the yapa (the ‘extra bit’ see p260).
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Western European citizens get a free 30-day tourist card (extendable for free for up to 90 days) upon arrival Lake Titicaca – hop between islands on the sapphire-blue waters of the world’s highest major lake (p205) Amazon Basin trips – penetrate deep into the lush pampas and rainforest of the Amazon lowlands on a riverboat (p248) Carnaval – join the revelrous crowds in Oruro and devour la Diablada and other dancing delights (p211) Salar de Uyuni – cruise through the eerie hallucinogenic salt deserts, and marvel at spurting geysers and colored lagoons (p219) Off the beaten track – stay in an ecolodge in Parque Nacionale Madidi and marvel at the magical isolation and wildlife (p253) Best journey – trot, cycle and walk your way through the stunning quebradas around Tupiza on horse, bike and foot (p219) FAST FACTS Area: 1,098,580 sq km (France & Spain Ĭombined) Best bargain: almuerzos (set lunches) Best street snack: salteña (delicious meat and vegetable pasties) Budget: US$15-25 a day Capitals: Sucre (constitutional), La Paz (de facto) Costs: La Paz bed US$3-5, 1L bottle of domestic beer US$1, 4hr bus ride US$2.50 Country code: %591 Famous for: world’s highest everything, being landlocked, peñas (folk-music shows), coca Languages: Spanish, Quechua, Aymara, Guaraní Money: US$1 = $8.03 bolivianos Phrases: genial (cool), la bomba (party), mugre (disgusting) Population: 8.8 million (2003 UN estimate) Time: GMT minus 4hr Tipping: 10% in better restaurants, small change elsewhere don’t tip taxis
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