Historical Events

Historical Events

• 1200  The Incas rule 

• 1538  Spain conquers Bolivia, which becomes part of the vice-royalty of Peru

•  1545  Silver is discovered in the Cerro Rico mountain in Potosi and Spain uses indigenous and black slaves as workers.
• 1561 Santa Cruz was founded by the Spaniard Nuflo de Chavez
• 1810 Overthrow of the king of Spain by Napoleon

• 1819 General Simon Bolivar defeats Bolivian royalist forces in the Battle of Boyaca on August 7 and the Republic of Colombia (also known as Gran Colombia) is proclaimed on December 17, consisting of Colombia, Venezuela, and Ecuador

• 1825 Bolivia declared its independence from Peru liberated by Simon Bolivar, for whom the Bolivian nation was later named

• 1907 Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid went to Bolivia where they were gunned down by Bolivian soldiers after robbing a mine

• 1928 Oil was discovered in the foothills of the Andes at the western Bolivian region of the Chaco

• 1932-1935 The Chaco War with Paraguay - ironically it was discovered that there was no oil after all

• 1942 Victor Paz Estensorro founded the National Revolutionary Movement

• 1952-1956 Victor Paz Estensorro founder of the National Revolutionary Movement served his first of four terms as Bolivian president

• 1967 Che Guevara was executed while attempting to incite revolution in Bolivia

• 1971-1978 Colonel Hugo Banzer Suarez ruled Bolivia as the military dictator

• 1982-1985 Hernan Siles Zuazo (1913-1996) became Bolivian president again and restored democracy after 18 years of military rule

• 2006 The first indigenous Bolivian president takes office in January promising radical changes using his socialist agenda.