Sucre (; ; ; ), officially La Ilustre y Heroica Sucre ("The Illustrious and Heroic Sucre") is the de jure capital city of Bolivia, the capital of the Chuquisaca Department and the sixth most populous city in Bolivia. Located in the south-central part of the country, Sucre lies at an elevation of , making it the second-highest capital city in the world after Quito. This relatively high altitude gives the city a subtropical highland climate with cool temperatures year-round. Over the centuries, the city has received various names, including La Plata, Charcas, and Chuquisaca. Today, the region is of predominantly Quechua background, with some Aymara communities and influences.
Sucre holds major national importance and is an educational and government center, as well as the location of the Bolivian Supreme Court. Its pleasant climate and low crime rates have made the city popular amongst foreigners and Bolivians alike. Notably, Sucre contains one of the best preserved Hispanic colonial and republican historic city centres in the Western Hemisphere - similar to cities such as Cuzco and Quito. This architectural heritage and the millenarian history of the Charcas region has led to Sucre's designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The city has held an important place in Bolivian history from its place as an important center in the Real Audencia de Charcas, and later as the first capital of Bolivia before the fall of silver's importance as a global mineral commodity. Some regional tension remains from the historical transfer of capital functions to La Paz, and even today the issue features an important role in local culture and political ideology.
History Prior to Spanish colonization, Sucre was an Inca town called Chuquisaca, a name that remains an alternative designation for the city today. The name Chuquisaca possibly derives from the Quechua words chuqi, meaning 'precious metal' or 'silver', and shaqa or saqa, meaning 'abundance', 'a heap', or 'a pile of small things', thus translating to 'a heap of precious metal' or 'a pile of silver'.
Chuquisaca was the provincial capital of the wamani of Charca, established after Topa Inka Yupanqui conquered the Aymara kingdom that originally occupied the area and imposed the Quechua language on them. According to Inca Garcilaso de la Vega, the Inca ruler received ambassadors from the kingdom of Tucman (Tucumán) while in Charca. Due to their warrior background, the Charcas were excluded from various state duties and many served as soldiers, being recruited in large numbers by Wayna Qhapaq for northern campaigns. During Wayna Qhapaq's wars in modern-day Ecuador, the Guarani-speaking Chiriguanos from Paraguay invaded the Charcas frontier, aided by a band of European explorers. Although the Chiriguanos were repelled by commanders sent by Wayna Qhapaq from Quito, the Portuguese conquistador Aleixo Garcia is believed to be the first European to make contact with Charcas in 1525.
Although the Inca territories south of Cusco were assigned to the head conquistador Diego de Almagro, there is no record of him visiting Chuquisaca and the Charcas territory during his 1535 expedition to Collasuyo. After Almagro's murder in 1538, Francisco Pizarro, sent his brothers Gonzalo Pizarro and Hernando Pizarro to Charcas to claim the region. Hernando Pizarro traveled to Chuquisaca along with the Emperor Paullu Inca. During their visit, they met with Consara, the principal lord of the Charcas region. Consara provided crucial information about the resources of Charca, including silver mines in Porco, gold mines in Chiutamarca, copper mines in Aytacara, and tin mines in Chayanta. The settlement was briefly occupied by Diego Méndez, under the orders of Diego de Almagro II, during Almagro II's uprising against Pizarro and the Spanish government.
The Spanish foundation of Sucre occurred on November 30, 1538, under the name Ciudad de la Plata de la Nueva Toledo (City of Silver of New Toledo) by Pedro Anzures, Marqués de Campo Redondo. In 1559, the Spanish King Philip II established the Audiencia de Charcas in La Plata with authority over an area which covers what is now Paraguay, southeastern Peru, northern Chile and Argentina, and much of Bolivia. The Real Audiencia of Charcas was a subdivision of the Viceroyalty of Peru until 1776, when it was transferred to the newly created Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata. In 1601 the Recoleta Monastery was founded by the Franciscans. In 1609, an archbishopric was founded in the city. In 1624 St Francis Xavier University of Chuquisaca was founded.
Very much a Spanish city during the colonial era, the narrow streets of the city centre are organised in a grid, reflecting the Andalusian culture that is embodied in the architecture of the city's great houses, convents and churches. Sucre remains the seat of the Roman Catholic Church in Bolivia, and a common sight is members of religious orders dressed in traditional habit. For much of its colonial history, Sucre's temperate climate was preferred by the Spanish royalty and wealthy families involved in silver trade coming from Potosí. Sucre's University (Universidad Mayor Real y Pontificia de San Francisco Xavier de Chuquisaca) is one of the oldest universities in the new world.
On May 25, 1809, the Bolivian independence movement was started with the ringing of the bell of the Basilica of Saint Francisco. This bell was rung to the point of breakage, but it can still be found in the Basilica today: it is one of the most precious relics of the city. Until the 19th century, La Plata was the judicial, religious and cultural centre of the region. It was proclaimed provisional capital of the newly independent Upper Peru (later, Bolivia) in July 1826. On July 12, 1839, President José Miguel de Velasco proclaimed a law naming the city as the capital of Bolivia, and renaming it in honor of the revolutionary leader Antonio José de Sucre. After the economic decline of Potosí and its silver industry, the Bolivian seat of government was moved from Sucre to La Paz in 1898. Some argue Sucre was the location of the beginning of the Latin American independence movement against Spain. From that point of view, Bolivia was the last Spanish imperial territory in South America to gain its independence, in 1825. In 1991, Sucre became a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Government Together with La Paz, Sucre is one of two governmental centers of Bolivia: It is the seat of the judiciary, where the Supreme Court of Justice is located. As designated in the Constitution of Bolivia, Sucre is the true capital of the nation, while La Paz is the seat of government. Sucre is also the capital city of the department of Chuquisaca. The government of the City of Sucre is divided into executive and legislative branches. The Mayor of Sucre is the executive head of the city government, elected for a term of five years by general election. The legislative branch consists of the Municipal Council, which elects a President, Vice President and Secretary from a group of eleven members. Date Began Date Ended Mayor Party NotesFebruary 7, 2000Germán Gutiérrez SantierMNR, PS1February 7, 2000January 8, 2003Fidel Herrera RessiniMBLResigned in intra-party move.January 8, 2003October 5, 2004Aydeé Nava AndradeMBLOctober 5, 2004January 10, 2005Armando PereiraMNRInterim mayor while Nava ran in election. January 10, 2005 Nov 2008 Aydeé Nava Andrade MBLElected in 2004. Nov 2008 May 30, 2010 Hugo Loayza MBL Assumed office after Nava was indicted on corruption charges. May 30, 2010 June 18, 2010 Jaime Barrón Poveda PAÍS Elected in regional election on April 4, 2010 June 22, 2010 January 10, 2011 Verónica Berríos MAS-IPSP Designated as interim Mayor by Sucre's Council in Resolution 335/10 after Barrón was indicted on charges of organizing the violence of 24 May 2008, with the support of MAS, New Citizen Alternative, and Domingo Martínez. January 10, 2011 January 27, 2011 José Santos Romero MAS-IPSP Designated as interim Mayor by Sucre's Council in Resolution 03/11, with three MAS votes (but not Berríos' alternate), four PAÍS votes, and that of Lourdes Millares. July 27, 2011 January 31, 2012 Verónica Berríos MAS-IPSP Restored to office when the Guarantees Tribunal of Chuquisaca's Superior Court of Justice annulled Resolution 03/11 January 31, 2012May 25, 2015 Moisés Torres Chivé Renewing Freedom and Democracy (LIDER) Elected in 2011 special electionMay 25, 2015 November 13, 2019 Iván Arciénega MAS-IPSP Elected in 2015 municipal election. Resigned in 2019 national political crisis.November 14, 2019May 3, 2021Rosario LópezFRIDesignated as interim Mayor by Sucre's Council.May 3, 2021May 4, 2026Enrique LeañoMAS-IPSPElected in 2021 municipal electionMay 4, 2026IncumbentFátima Elva Tardío QuirogaAlianza Gente NuevaElected in 2026 municipal election The Municipal Council is the legislative branch of the government of the municipality of Sucre, the constitutional capital of Bolivia. The council consists of eleven elected members, and it elects its own President, Vice President and Secretary. The members of the municipal council elected on May 3, 2021 are:
Oscar Sandy (MAS) Yolanda Barrios (MAS) Rodolfo Avilés (MAS) Guadalupe Fernández (MAS) Eduardo Lora (R-2025) Melisa Cortés (R-2025) Antonio Pino (R-2025) Carmen Rosa Torres (R-2025) Jenny Montaño (C-A) Gonzalo Pallares (CST) Edwin González (Unidos)
Geography and territorial organization Geographically, Sucre is located at the head of valleys with a warm and dry climate, at an altitude of 2,798 meters above sea level. Specifically, it lies in the geographic region of Bolivia's inter-Andean valleys, between the highlands of the Andean plateau and the lowlands of the Gran Chaco plains. Likewise, the area marks the boundary between the Amazon basin (the Chico and Grande rivers) and the La Plata River basin (the Cachimayu and Pilcomayu rivers).
The city is situated in Oropeza Province of the Department of Chuquisaca, at the foot of the Sica Sica and Churuquella hills (two ancient extinct volcanoes), in the Eastern Cordillera of the Andes, near the point where the mountain ranges decrease in elevation and provide a warm and dry head-of-valley climate.
Sucre is divided into eight numbered districts: the first five of these are urban districts, while Districts 6, 7, and 8 are rural districts. Each is administered by a Sub-Mayor (), appointed by the Mayor of Sucre. The rural districts include multiple rural communities outside the urban area.
Sucre is served by Alcantari Airport, situated to the South.
Climate
Sucre features a subtropical highland climate (Köppen: Cwb, Trewartha: Cwll), with mild temperatures year round. Rain generally falls in summer thunderstorms.
The highest record temperature was while the lowest record temperature was
The City of Four Names
Each of the well known names represent a specific era of the city's history:
Charcas was the indigenous name for the place upon which the Spaniards built the colonial city. La Plata was the name given to the emerging Hispanic city of privilege and honor. The name Chuquisaca was bestowed upon the city during the independence era. Sucre honors the great marshal of the Battle of Ayacucho (December 9, 1824), Antonio José de Sucre. "La Ciudad Blanca" is a nickname that was bestowed upon the city because many of the colonial style houses and structures are painted white.
Culture
Dances
The cueca This city was one of the main driving forces behind its spread, since some of the oldest and most beautiful pieces of this genre were composed by authors from Chuquisaca, such as Miguel Ángel Valda Paredes and Simeón Roncal. Two types of cueca stand out: one of a popular character and another known as the salon cueca, the latter with a slower rhythm, similar to the meter of the Argentine zamba.
The bailecito