Chuquisaca Department
Encyclopedia
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.
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
. The surface area of the department is 51,524 square kilometers. The topography of central Chuquisaca consists of a series of ridges rising up to 1500 m that run north and south with flat valleys between the ridges. To the east of these ridges abruptly rise the Andes Mountains to 3000 m forming a prepuna landmass that is cut into by large river valleys that drain into the Amazon or Rio de la Plata river basins. To the west of the central ridges lies a stretch of territory containing low altitude flat Chaco topography. 90% of the land in the department of Chuquisaca has inclination of 70% or more.
Cordillera Oriental Central y Meridional: From an altitude of 3200m in Chuquisaca to nearly 6000 meters in Potosi, this zone is characterized by the puna, altoandean, and subnival and nival ecological zones with a pluviestacional subhumed bioclimate.
Prepuna or High Interandean Valleys: From 2300m to 3200m, this zone is characterized by a mesotropical dry xeric bioclimatic zone. Seasonally torrential waters and salinity levels affect regional vegetation patterns in this zone.
Bolivian-Tucuman Formation: With a wide altitude range between 600m to 3900m this zone contains pluviestacional subhumid and locally humid bioclimatic zones. The high altitude Rio Grande and Pilcomayo river valleys transect this unit and are characterized by dry xeric vegetation zones with endemic and varied speciation especially in the Rio Grande river valley and vegetation influence from the Chaco in the Pilcomayo river valley. Wet forest ecosystems like those found in more northern Yungas valleys are found on high ridges where clouds form.
Chaco: from 400-900 m this unit is characterized by a xeric bioclimate. Sandy soils in this unit were formed from alluvial processes from the Parapeti and Grande rivers. Soil drainage affects vegetation dispersion within this unit.
(since May 2010) is the governor; until then, the office was called the prefect, and until 2006 the prefect was appointed by the President of Bolivia
. The current governor, Esteban Urquizu Cuéllar of the Movement for Socialism – Political Instrument for the Sovereignty of the Peoples was elected on 4 April 2010.
s which are further subdivided into municipalities
and cantons
.
(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.
and Quechua
. The following table shows the number of those belonging to the recognized group of speakers.
Departments of Bolivia
Bolivia is divided into nine departments . Each of the departments is subdivided into provinces , which are further subdivided into municipalities ....
of Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
located in the center south. It borders on the departments of Cochabamba
Cochabamba Department
Cochabamba is one of the nine component departments of Bolivia. It is known to be the "granary" of the country because of its variety of agricultural products due to Cochabamba's geographical position. It has an area of 55,631 km². Its population, in the 2007 census, was 1,750,000...
, Tarija
Tarija Department
Tarija is a department in Bolivia. It is located in south-eastern Bolivia bordering Argentina to the south and Paraguay to the east. According to the 2001 census, it has a population of 391,226 inhabitants. It has an area of 37.623 km²...
, Potosí
Potosí Department
Potosí Department is a department in southwestern Bolivia. It comprises 118,218 km² with 709,013 inhabitants . The capital is the city of Potosí....
, and Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz Department
Santa Cruz, with an area of 370,621 km², is the largest of the nine constituent departments of Bolivia. In the 2001 census, it reported a population of 2,029,471. The capital is the city of Santa Cruz de la Sierra. The state is one of the wealthiest states in Bolivia with huge reserves of...
. The departmental capital is Sucre, which is also the constitutional capital of Bolivia.
Geography
The department is traversed by the main cordilleraCordillera
A cordillera is an extensive chain of mountains or mountain ranges, that runs along a coastline . It comes from the Spanish word cordilla, which is a diminutive of cuerda, or "cord"...
of the Andes
Andes
The Andes is the world's longest continental mountain range. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about long, about to wide , and of an average height of about .Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated...
mountain range and lesser cordilleras. Parts of it lie within the basin of the Amazon River
Amazon River
The Amazon of South America is the second longest river in the world and by far the largest by waterflow with an average discharge greater than the next seven largest rivers combined...
, and other parts within the basin of the Río de La Plata
Río de la Plata
The Río de la Plata —sometimes rendered River Plate in British English and the Commonwealth, and occasionally rendered [La] Plata River in other English-speaking countries—is the river and estuary formed by the confluence of the Uruguay River and the Paraná River on the border between Argentina and...
. The surface area of the department is 51,524 square kilometers. The topography of central Chuquisaca consists of a series of ridges rising up to 1500 m that run north and south with flat valleys between the ridges. To the east of these ridges abruptly rise the Andes Mountains to 3000 m forming a prepuna landmass that is cut into by large river valleys that drain into the Amazon or Rio de la Plata river basins. To the west of the central ridges lies a stretch of territory containing low altitude flat Chaco topography. 90% of the land in the department of Chuquisaca has inclination of 70% or more.
Ecological and Vegetation Zones
Ecological and vegetation zones in the department of Chuquisaca vary widely according to a diversity of abiotic factors including soil formation and textures, rainfall patterns, and mineral and salinity content of water. Altitude plays an important role in the dispersion of vegetation species and wider ecosystems as they respond to microclimates. As the Andes Mountains became uplifted, plants adapted to dryer and higher microclimates resulting in a high level of speciation especially in the dry forest river valleys of the Bolivian-Tucuman formation. Colder and dryer air from more austral parts of South America have resulted in migration of plant communities with a floristic connection to those in Argentina, Paraguay and Southern Brazil as opposed to more tropical plant communities that result from warm and moist northern climates. Navarro and Ferreira have developed a database of plant species in Bolivia and identified 39 separate vegetation zones in Bolivia within twelve general physiographic-biogeographical units of which four fall in the boundaries of Chuquisaca Department including: Cordillera Oriental Central y Meridional, Prepuna or High Interandean Valleys, Bolivian-Tucuman Formation, and Chaco. Using Navarro and Ferreira’s categories and descriptions based on vegetation zones, the geographical and ecological characteristics of the Chuquisaca Department can be described as follows.Cordillera Oriental Central y Meridional: From an altitude of 3200m in Chuquisaca to nearly 6000 meters in Potosi, this zone is characterized by the puna, altoandean, and subnival and nival ecological zones with a pluviestacional subhumed bioclimate.
Prepuna or High Interandean Valleys: From 2300m to 3200m, this zone is characterized by a mesotropical dry xeric bioclimatic zone. Seasonally torrential waters and salinity levels affect regional vegetation patterns in this zone.
Bolivian-Tucuman Formation: With a wide altitude range between 600m to 3900m this zone contains pluviestacional subhumid and locally humid bioclimatic zones. The high altitude Rio Grande and Pilcomayo river valleys transect this unit and are characterized by dry xeric vegetation zones with endemic and varied speciation especially in the Rio Grande river valley and vegetation influence from the Chaco in the Pilcomayo river valley. Wet forest ecosystems like those found in more northern Yungas valleys are found on high ridges where clouds form.
Chaco: from 400-900 m this unit is characterized by a xeric bioclimate. Sandy soils in this unit were formed from alluvial processes from the Parapeti and Grande rivers. Soil drainage affects vegetation dispersion within this unit.
Human Ecological Impacts
With a human population of 631,000 people humans are a part of the ecology of Chuquisaca. The grazing of cattle and introduction of invasive feral citrus trees has affected the native plant populations in the department. Native forests and ecosystems have contracted as land has been converted to pasture and erosion is widespread as a result of human agricultural activities on steep slopes.Government
The chief executive office of Bolivia departmentsDepartments of Bolivia
Bolivia is divided into nine departments . Each of the departments is subdivided into provinces , which are further subdivided into municipalities ....
(since May 2010) is the governor; until then, the office was called the prefect, and until 2006 the prefect was appointed by the President of Bolivia
President of Bolivia
The President of Bolivia is head of state and head of government of Bolivia. According to the current Constitution, the president is elected by popular vote to a five year term, renewable once...
. The current governor, Esteban Urquizu Cuéllar of the Movement for Socialism – Political Instrument for the Sovereignty of the Peoples was elected on 4 April 2010.
| Date Began | Date Ended | Prefect/Governor | Party | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 Jan 2006 | 30 Aug 2007 | David Sanchez Heredia | MAS-IPSP | Elected in Bolivian general election, December 2005 |
| 30 Aug 2007 | 20 Sep 2007 | Adrián Valeriano (acting) | MAS | |
| 20 Sep 2007 | 18 Dec 2007 | David Sanchez Heredia | MAS | |
| 18 Dec 2007 | 11 Jul 2008 | Ariel Iriarte (acting) | ||
| 11 Jul 2008 | 30 May 2010 | Sabina Cuéllar Leaños | ACI | Elected in special election on 29 June; final prefect |
| 30 May 2010 | Esteban Urquizu Cuéllar Esteban Urquizu Esteban Urquizu Cuéllar is a peasant leader, governor of Chuquisaca, and the youngest governor in Bolivia. He is affiliated with the Movement for Socialism , for which he previously served as a member of the Constituent Assembly. He won the 2010 gubernatorial election in Chuquisaca with 53.6% of... |
MAS-IPSP | Elected in regional election Bolivian regional election, 2010 The 2010 Bolivian regional elections were held on 4 April 2010. Departmental and municipal authorities were elected by an electorate of approximately 5 million people... on 4 April; first governor |
|
| Source: worldstatesmen.org | ||||
Provinces
The department is divided into 10 provinceProvinces of Bolivia
A province is the second largest administrative division in Bolivia, after a department. Each department is divided into provinces. There are 112 provinces in total....
s which are further subdivided into municipalities
Municipalities of Bolivia
Municipalities in Bolivia are administrative divisions of the entire national territory governed by local elections. Municipalities are the third level of administrative divisions, below departments and provinces. Some of the provinces consist of only one municipality...
and cantons
Cantons of Bolivia
||On the level below municipalities, Bolivia is divided into cantons ....
.
| Name | Population | Area km² | Capital |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oropeza Oropeza Province Oropeza is a province in the Chuquisaca Department, Bolivia. Its seat is Sucre which is also the constitutional capital of Bolivia and the capital of the Chuquisaca Department.- Subdivision :... |
275.765 | 3.943 | Sucre Sucre Sucre, also known historically as Charcas, La Plata and Chuquisaca is the constitutional capital of Bolivia and the capital of the department of Chuquisaca. Located in the south-central part of the country, Sucre lies at an elevation of 2750m... |
|
| Azurduy Juana Azurduy de Padilla Province Juana Azurduy de Padilla is a province in the Chuquisaca Department in Bolivia. Its seat is Azurduy.Juana Azurduy de Padilla was the wife of a hero named Manuel Asencio Padilla and, together they fought against the Spaniards in the 19th century... |
27.973 | 4.185 | Azurduy | |
| Jaime Zudáñez | 34.640 | 3.738 | Presto Presto, Bolivia Presto is a Bolivian town located in Jaime Zudáñez Province, Chuquisaca Department, 95 km east of Sucre.... |
|
| Tomina Tomina Province Tomina is a province in the Chuquisaca Department in Bolivia. Its seat is Padilla.- Subdivision :Tomina Province is divided into five municipalities which are partly further subdivided into cantons.- The people :... |
38.359 | 3.947 | Padilla Padilla, Bolivia Padilla is a small town in the Chuquisaca Department of Bolivia, located southeast by road from Tomina Province. It is the centre of the municipality of the same name... |
|
| Hernando Siles Hernando Siles Province Hernando Siles is a province of the department of Chuquisaca, Bolivia. It has a population of 36.511 and covers an area of 5,473 km², giving it a population density of 6.67/km². Its capital is Monteagudo.- Subdivision :... |
37.035 | 5.473 | Monteagudo Monteagudo, Bolivia Monteagudo is a small town in South Eastern Bolivia. Its name is dedicated to Bernardo de Monteagudo Cáceres who took part in the Chuquisaca revolution of 25 May 1809.- Location :... |
|
| Yamparáez Yamparáez Province Yamparáez is a province in the Bolivian department of Chuquisaca. It is divided in two sections: first section with head in the town of Tarabuco, and the second section with its head in Yamparáez.- Subdivision :... |
28.797 | 1.472 | Tarabuco Tarabuco Tarabuco is a Bolivian town in the department of Chuquisaca, capital of the Yamparáez Province and its first section, Tarabuco Municipality. It is best known as the home of the Yampara culture. Its people host the Pujllay festival in March each year... |
|
| Nor Cinti | 71.084 | 7.983 | Camargo Camargo, Chuquisaca Camargo is a small town in the Chuquisaca Department of Bolivia in the South American Andes.-Location:Camargo is the capital of Nor Cinti Province and is situated in Camargo Municipio, embedded between north-southerly mountain ridges, at an elevation of 2,414 m, on the banks of Río Chico which... |
|
| Sud Cinti | 24.010 | 5.484 | Villa Abecia Villa Abecia Villa Abecia , also Camataqui, is a small town in Bolivia.... |
|
| Belisario Boeto Belisario Boeto Province Belisario Boeto is a province in the Bolivian department of Chuquisaca.- Subdivision :The province consists of only one municipality, Villa Serrano Municipality, which is identical to the province. Belisario Boeto Province is further subdivided into three cantons... |
12.237 | 2.000 | Villa Serrano Villa Serrano Villa Serrano is a small town in the Chuquisaca Department, Bolivia. It is the seat of the Belisario Boeto Province. At the time of census 2001 it had 2,877 inhabitants. -References:... |
|
| Luis Calvo | 22.275 | 13.299 | Villa Vaca Guzmán Villa Vaca Guzmán Villa Vaca Guzmán is a small town in Bolivia.-References:... (Muyupampa) |
|
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.The capital city of Sucre
SucreSucre
Sucre, also known historically as Charcas, La Plata and Chuquisaca is the constitutional capital of Bolivia and the capital of the department of Chuquisaca. Located in the south-central part of the country, Sucre lies at an elevation of 2750m...
(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 SpanishSpanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
and Quechua
Quechua languages
Quechua is a Native South American language family and dialect cluster spoken primarily in the Andes of South America, derived from an original common ancestor language, Proto-Quechua. It is the most widely spoken language family of the indigenous peoples of the Americas, with a total of probably...
. The following table shows the number of those belonging to the recognized group of speakers.
| Language | Department | Bolivia |
|---|---|---|
| Quechua Quechua languages Quechua is a Native South American language family and dialect cluster spoken primarily in the Andes of South America, derived from an original common ancestor language, Proto-Quechua. It is the most widely spoken language family of the indigenous peoples of the Americas, with a total of probably... |
298,050 | 2,281,198 |
| Aymara Aymara language Aymara is an Aymaran language spoken by the Aymara people of the Andes. It is one of only a handful of Native American languages with over three million speakers. Aymara, along with Quechua and Spanish, is an official language of Peru and Bolivia... |
4,308 | 1,525,321 |
| Guaraní Guaraní language Guaraní, specifically the primary variety known as Paraguayan Guaraní , is an indigenous language of South America that belongs to the Tupí–Guaraní subfamily of the Tupian languages. It is one of the official languages of Paraguay , where it is spoken by the majority of the population, and half of... |
8,330 | 62,575 |
| Another native | 145 | 49,432 |
| Spanish Spanish language Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the... |
376,071 | 6,821,626 |
| Foreign | 8,840 | 250,754 |
| Only native | 122,401 | 960,491 |
| Native and Spanish | 185,598 | 2,739,407 |
| Spanish and foreign | 190,599 | 4,115,751 |