Bolivia

BOLIVIA. - Republic of South America.

I. GEOGRAPHY

Bordered by Peru, Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina and Chile; among the Andean states, the only one without its own outlet on the neighboring Ocean. The territory (1.1 million sq. km.) comprises (for about a quarter of its extent) a highland zone, with closed basins and lofty mountain ranges; for the rest, the broad, gentle slope by which one passes from these to the basins of the Amazon and the Paraguay. The former harbors in its depressions lake basins with no outlet to the sea; the latter is furrowed by mighty rivers that tributary to the Madeira and the Pilcomayo; there the grassland of gramineae or the bare stony ground predominates; here in part (to the NE) the equatorial forest, in part, with the decrease of humidity (to the SE), the scrub and the prairie (Chaco). The soil is cultivated over a very limited area (2% of the total). The principal resource consists in mineral production (tin, bismuth, silver, zinc, gold, etc.). The whole country suffers from sparse and difficult communications; the international ones lead, by daring railways, to the ports of Arica, Antofagasta (Chile) and Mollendo (Peru), and to the Argentine network (Tucumán), and rely for a large part (passengers and mail) on aircraft. B. is a unitary republic, independent since 1825; its constitution is democratic with bicameral representation. The population (3.7 million inhabitants in 1945) is made up of more than half Amerindians (among whom the civilized Quechua and Aymara), about a third mestizos, a seventh Creoles and whites, and the rest blacks. Italians number around 1,500. On the highland, where, above 3,000 meters, 90% of the country's population lives, the principal inhabited centers are gathered. The seat of government is at La Paz (280,000 inhabitants; 3,630 meters in altitude); the legal capital at Sucre (35,000 inhabitants; 2,790 meters); other cities worthy of note are Cochabamba (60,000 inhabitants; 2,557 meters), Oruro (50,000 inhabitants; 3,706 meters) and Potosi (40,000 inhabitants; 3,970 meters). The Catholic worship is the religion of the State; to it belongs, according to official data, 84% of the population.

The soil is cultivated over a very limited area (2% of the total). The whole country suffers from sparse and difficult communications; the international ones lead, by daring railways, to the ports of Arica, Antofagasta (Chile) and Mollendo (Peru), and to the Argentine network (Tucumán), and rely for a large part (passengers and mail) on aircraft.

Giuseppe Caraci

II. CIVIL AND ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY

Until its separation from Spain, this region was called Upper Peru, but it was much more extensive, reaching three million sq. km., so that the indigenous population in the 16th century was also much more numerous than today, having subsequently been decimated by wars, plague and the vices imported by the Europeans, who went there in great numbers, attracted by the very rich mines, especially of silver, of Potosí. There exists in the country a great diversity of races and civilizations; the Europeans, mainly Spaniards, founded alongside the rich mines colonies of white populations and attempted to reduce the indomitable Indians to civilized life, who still display the characteristics of the different zones, since the nation can be considered geographically divided into three parts: the inter-Andean, the Amazonian, and the Platine. All three are very mountainous zones, which in the past made the penetration of European and Christian culture difficult, especially in the Andean region. The plurality of ancient languages also contributed to this, among which Quechua and Aymara, not to mention forty dialects. The civilization of the country seems to have begun from the part near Peru and Colombia.

The civil and ecclesiastical history of B. after the discovery is largely identified with that of Peru, because the colonizing activity of the Spaniards was limited to the high plateau, which as a province (Audiencia) of Upper Peru or Charcas formed an integral part of the Viceroyalty of Peru. The plains of the north and east remained with the Indians, who were only partly included in missionary activity. The western part of present-day B., the high plateau of Charcas, at the time of the Spanish conquest of 1559, belonged to the kingdom of the Incas. In 1776 the territory was annexed to the newly formed Viceroyalty of Buenos Aires.

The conquest of B. was begun by the brothers Ferdinand and Gonzalo Pizarro and completed through extremely hard battles with the Indians. Once the country was largely pacified, the victors proceeded to the formation of some important cities, the principal of which was La Plata, first called Chugnisaca or Las Charcas, so named because of the very rich silver mines of the same district. Its founder, in 1538, was the captain Pedro Anzures; that of the city of La Paz in 1548 was the viceroy Pedro La Gasca, who called it thus because of the peace obtained after the victory over the rebels led by Gonzalo Pizarro. The construction of Cochabamba was begun in 1575 by Jerome of Osorio; a year earlier the city of Tarija had been founded; in 1592 that of S. Cruz de la Sierra and in 1604 Oruro. Contemporaneously with the conquest began the evangelization of the country, carried out by the Dominicans and even more by the Franciscans. In 1551 Charcas or La Plata, at present Sucre, was erected as a diocese. The Franciscans in 1565 founded the province of S. Antonio de las Charcas, which in the 16th and 17th centuries provided for 17 "doctrinas" or missionary stations among the Indians of Upper Peru. At the beginning of the 17th century the ecclesiastical hierarchy was completed with the erection of the dioceses of S. Cruz de la Sierra (1605) and of La Paz (1608) and with the elevation of Charcas to an archdiocese (1609).

During the 16th century missionary activity had been limited to the western high plateau of present-day B., and in the 17th century the mission began to extend toward the north and toward the east. In 1632 the Jesuits attempted, at first without success, the conversion of the Chiriguanos in the Chaco. In 1668 they began the mission among the Mojos of the north, founding in 1684 the first Reduction: Loreto. The work of the Reductions among the Mojos and the neighboring tribes obtained good results. In 1752 the mission counted 21 Reductions with more than 35,000 Christians. Equally effective was the work of the Jesuits among the Chiquitos of the east, begun in 1691 through the martyr José de Arce; in 1767 the mission comprised 10 villages with 22,000 Christians. Because of the expulsion of the Jesuits in 1767 the Reductions were destroyed; they passed into the hands of the diocesan clergy of S. Cruz de la Sierra, which however was too few in number to continue the mission. Therefore the Christians mingled again with the pagan Indians, giving rise to a mixture of Christian and pagan customs which then constituted an almost impregnable bulwark.

In the meantime the Franciscans had (1692) resumed the work among the Chiriguanos of the Chaco. The missionary college of Tarija, founded in 1754, was its continuator. Until 1810, 22 missions with 16,000 Christians were founded. The work of the college of Tarata, founded in 1796, among the Tucacares, was soon disturbed by the wars for independence, which unfortunately also destroyed the mission among the Chiriguanos of the college of Tarija. Fr. Andrea Herrera O.F.M., a missionary since 1813 in the north-east of B., where, despite the wars, he continued his work imperturbably, recruited missionaries in Europe for the colleges of Tarija and Tarata and erected 2 new colleges, that of La Paz in 1815 and that of Sucre in 1837, which was followed by the college of Potosí in 1844. These 5 colleges of the Franciscans were the centers of missionary activity among the Indian tribes of the south, east and north of B., until there was a reorganization of the ecclesiastical and missionary situation.

Already in 1847 the diocese of Cochabamba had been erected. There followed then in 1924 the dioceses of Oruro, Potosí and Tarija. In 1943 La Paz was elevated to an archdiocese with the suffragans of Cochabamba and Oruro; Sucre retaining the suffragans of S. Cruz de la Sierra, Potosí and Tarija. With the erection of the apostolic vicariate of Beni in 1917 the reorganization of the missions also began, until that time dependent on the colleges. The missions were entrusted to the European Provinces of the Franciscan Order: Beni to the Province of Andalusia, incorporating the colleges of Sucre and La Paz; Chaco, erected as an apostolic vicariate in 1919, to the Tuscan Province together with the colleges of Tarija and Potosí. In 1925 the apostolic prefecture of Pilcomayo was erected with territory from the apostolic vicariate of Chaco and entrusted to the Oblates of Mary Immaculate; in 1934, after the war between B. and Paraguay, the territory of Pilcomayo passed from B. to Paraguay. The college of Tarata with its missions passed in 1930 to the old Bolivian province S. Antonio de las Charcas. In 1930 the apostolic vicariate of Chiquitos was erected and entrusted to the Tyrolean Province of the Franciscans. In 1942 the western regions of the vicariate of Beni were detached, erecting the vicariates of Pando for the Maryknoll Missionaries and of Reyes for the Redemptorists.

In summary, today B. is ecclesiastically divided into two metropolitan sees: La Paz with the suffragan sees of Cochabamba and Oruro, and Sucre with the suffragans of Potosí, S. Cruz de la Sierra and Tarija; and five apostolic vicariates: Chaco, Chiquitos, Beni or El Beni, Pando and Reyes. The government has a diplomatic representative at the Holy See, and vice versa.

Giovanni Rommerskirchen

III. ECCLESIASTICAL ORDER

The school system is based on the one established on Nov. 22, 1872 and expanded on Jan. 15, 1874. First-level instruction is given in primary, elementary and secondary schools, which together form the common school. Second-level instruction is called collegiate and is divided into lyceum and collegiate proper. Third-level instruction is called professional and is divided into scientific, artistic and that applied to work.

The lyceums or colleges last five years. Bolivian professional schools are to be considered as detached university faculties and are divided into schools of medicine, which confer the title of doctor, schools of ecclesiastical sciences, which confer the title "licenciado," colleges for teachers, which confer the title of "bachelor of letters" or "of sciences," schools of jurisprudence, which confer the title of "abogado."

In B., the following are designated as professional schools: the "Facultad de derecho y ciencias sociales de la República," the "Escuela de odontología," the "Instituto nacional de comercio," the National Conservatory of Music, the National Academy of Fine Arts, the Agronomic and Veterinary Institute, the Military College and the Aeronautics College.

The universities are the following: the "Real y pontificia universidad de s. Francisco Javier" in Sucre, founded in 1623, the "Universidad de Gabriele René Moreno" in Santa Cruz, the "Universidad de Thomas Frias" in Potosi, the "Universidad de Juan Misael Saracho" in Tarija, the "Universidad de Mariscal Andrés" in Santa Cruz and the State University in La Paz.

Stumpf Miroslav