Chuquisaca Day in Bolivia Date in the current year: May 25, 2024

Located in the center south of Bolivia, Chuquisaca is one of the country’s nine departments. What makes it special is that it is the department where the constitutional capital of Bolivia, Sucre, is located. Besides, it was Chuquisaca where the Bolivian independence of movement began, kicking off the struggle that lasted for 16 years.

Historically, the territory that is now known as Chuquisaca was inhabited by the Charca people. The Spaniards arrived here in 1538 and founded a settlement that they named Ciudad de la Plata de la Nueva Toledo (City of Silver of New Toledo), or simply La Plata. Such a name was chosen because of silver deposits found nearby. At some point later, the settlement was renamed Chuquisaca, which means “silver mountain” in the Aymara language.

On May 25, 1809, local revolutionaries rang the bell of the Basilica of Saint Francis, making the first public call for independence from Spain. As a result, governor of Chuquisaca Ramón García León de Pizarro was deposed by the Real Audiencia of Charcas with support from the faculty of University of Saint Francis Xavier. The revolutionaries formed a junta, paving a way for other juntas in the Viceroyalty of Peru.

The Chuquisaca Revolution was the first major event of the Bolivian war of independence that lasted for 16 years and ended in 1825 with the proclamation of independence of Upper Peru, which was renamed Bolivia in honor of Simón Bolívar. Chuquisaca, the city where it all began, became the capital of independent Bolivia. In 1838, it was renamed Sucre after Antonio José de Sucre, a notable revolutionary and the second President of Bolivia.

In 1898, the legislative and executive powers were relocated to the city of La Paz that had outgrown Sucre economically. However, the judicial branch (Supreme Court) continues to operate in Sucre to recognize its historical significance. In addition, the city’s capital status has never been officially revoked, so Sucre is the constitutional capital of Bolivia, while La Paz is its de facto capital.

Sucre is not only the constitutional capital of Bolivia, but also the capital of the department of Chuquisaca, which consists of ten provinces (Azurduy, Belisario Boeto, Hernanto Siles, Luis Calvo, Nor Cinti, Oropeza, Sud Cinti, Tomina, Yamparáez and Zudáñez). The most populated province of Chuquisaca is Oropeza because the Sucre municipality with its almost 215,000 inhabitants is located there.

The official holiday of the Chuquisaca department is Chuquisaca Day. It is celebrated on May 25 to commemorate the Chuquisaca Revolution and the beginning of the Bolivian war of independence. As a regional holiday, it is not observed in other departments of Bolivia. Government employees of Chuquisaca typically get a day off on the occasion, but many businesses remain open.