Bolivia's Royal History: Does A Queen Reign?

Bolivia does have a queen, but not in the way you might expect. The country is a republic with a presidential system, but it also has a ceremonial monarchy, recognised as part of the Plurinational State of Bolivia. The current monarchs are King Julio Pinedo and Queen Angélica Larrea, who rule over the Kingdom of the Afro-Bolivians, a community of around 2,000 people in the village of Mururata in the Yungas valley. The monarchy is a chiefly symbolic one, with the king serving as a customary leader of the Afro-Bolivian community.

The Afro-Bolivian Royal House is a ceremonial monarchy

The Afro-Bolivian Royal House, or la Casa Real Afroboliviana in Spanish, is a ceremonial monarchy recognised as part of the Plurinational State of Bolivia. It does not interfere with the system of the Presidential republic in force within the country. The monarchy is centred in Mururata, a village in the Yungas region of Bolivia.

The Afro-Bolivian Royal House is made up of the descendants of an old African tribal monarchy that were brought to Bolivia as slaves. The founding monarch, Uchicho, was allegedly of Kongo and Senegalese origin, and was brought to the Hacienda of the Marquis de Pinedo in the area of Los Yungas in what is now La Paz Department. Other slaves allegedly recognised him as a man of regal background (a prince from the ancient Kingdom of Kongo) when they saw royal tribal marks on his torso. He was crowned in 1823 and was succeeded by Bonifaz, who adopted the surname of Pinedo, the plantation owner.

Bonifaz was succeeded by Don José and Don Bonifacio, the latter of whom was born in 1880 and crowned in 1932. When Bonifacio died in 1954, the house was led by his oldest daughter, Doña Aurora Pinedo. However, due to the lack of a male heir, the kingdom was left without a king for 38 years. In 1992, Aurora's oldest son, Julio Pinedo, was given the title of king. His wife, Angélica Larrea, became queen upon her husband's ascension.

The Royal House was officially recognised by the Bolivian state in 2007 with the public coronation of Julio, the current King of the Afro-Bolivian community. King Julio's powers are similar to those of a traditional king, representing the Afro-Bolivian community. He does not collect taxes or have a police force, and his title is mostly symbolic. However, he serves as a customary leader of the community and is an important figure for the Afro-Bolivians, giving them a cultural identity and a connection to their history and culture.

King Julio and Queen Angélica live and work in a small apartment above a grocery store in Mururata, where they farm coca leaves and other crops. They are humble and blend in with the other villagers, managing their small store and selling produce from their garden. Despite their modest lifestyle, King Julio has a son, Prince Rolando, who is being prepared for his prospective role as king.

The current king and queen are Julio and Angélica Larrea Pinedo

The current king and queen of the Afro-Bolivian community are Julio and Angélica Larrea Pinedo. The monarchy is a ceremonial one and is centred in Mururata, a village in the Yungas region of Bolivia. The royal couple lives on a farm in the village, where they also run a small shop selling grocery items on the first floor of their home.

King Julio I is a direct descendant of the former Congolese King, Uchicho, who came to America by mistake among the many slaves brought from Africa by the Spaniards in the colonial era. Uchicho was recognised as a man of regal background by other slaves, who noticed his torso was marked with tattoos that denoted royalty. He was crowned in 1823 and was succeeded by Bonifaz, who adopted the surname Pinedo, followed by Don José and Don Bonifacio.

When King Bonifacio died in 1954, the kingdom was left without a male heir, so it was led by his daughter, Doña Aurora Pinedo, for 38 years. In 1992, the elders of the community crowned Aurora's oldest son, Julio, as king. His wife, Angélica, became queen upon his ascension. Their official coronation ceremony, held by the government in La Paz, took place on 3 December 2007.

The powers of the Afro-Bolivian king are similar to those of a traditional king, in that he represents the Afro-Bolivian community. However, the role is largely symbolic, and the king does not collect taxes or have a police force. The king and queen are well-respected in their community due to their humility. They have an adopted son and heir, Crown Prince Rolando Julio Pinedo Larrea, who is preparing for his future role as king.

The Royal House was officially recognised by Bolivia in 2007

Bolivia is a presidential republic. However, the country does have royalty in the form of the Afro-Bolivian Royal House, which was officially recognised by the Bolivian state in 2007.

The Royal House is a ceremonial monarchy and does not interfere with the system of the presidential republic in force within the country. It is centred in Mururata, a village in the Yungas region of Bolivia. The monarchy is treated as a customary leader of the Afro-Bolivian community.

The current king and queen of the Afro-Bolivian community are King Julio Pinedo and Queen Angélica Larrea. The Royal House was officially recognised by the Bolivian state in 2007 with the public coronation of King Julio, which was done by the authorities of the La Paz Department.

The Royal House is made up of the descendants of an old African tribal monarchy that were brought to Bolivia as slaves. The founding monarch, Uchicho, was allegedly of Kongo and Senegalese origin, and was brought to the Hacienda of the Marquis de Pinedo in the area of Los Yungas in what is now La Paz Department. Other slaves allegedly recognised him as a man of regal background (a prince from the ancient Kingdom of Kongo) when they saw his torso exposed with royal tribal marks. He was crowned in 1823 and was succeeded by Bonifaz, who adopted the surname of Pinedo, the plantation owner.

When King Bonifacio, who was born in 1880 and crowned in 1932, died in 1954, the house was led by his oldest daughter, Doña Aurora Pinedo. However, due to the lack of a male heir, the kingdom was left without a king for 38 years. Aurora's oldest son, Julio Pinedo, was given the title of king in 1992. His wife, Angélica Larrea, became queen upon her husband's ascension.

King Julio has a son, Prince Rolando, who was born in 1995. By 2021, he was studying law at the Universidad de Los Andes in La Paz and preparing for his future role as king.

The king's powers are largely symbolic

Bolivia is a presidential republic with a democratically elected head of state. However, the country does have a king and queen, who are the ceremonial leaders of the Afro-Bolivian community. The current king, Julio Pinedo, has described his role as "mostly symbolic". The king does not collect taxes or have a police force, and his powers are similar to those of a traditional chief.

The Afro-Bolivian Royal House is a ceremonial monarchy recognised as part of the Plurinational State of Bolivia. It is centred in Mururata, a village in the Yungas region of Bolivia. The monarchy is a remnant of an old African tribal monarchy, with the founding monarch, Uchicho, allegedly of Kongo and Senegalese origin, brought over as a slave to Bolivia. Uchicho was recognised by other slaves as a man of regal background due to his torso bearing royal tribal marks. He was crowned in 1823 and was succeeded by Bonifaz, who adopted the surname Pinedo, the plantation owner.

The Pinedo dynasty has continued to the present day, with Julio Pinedo becoming king in 1992. The Royal House was officially recognised by the Bolivian state in 2007 with the coronation of Julio, the current king. The king's role is to represent the Afro-Bolivian community, and he serves as the sovereign Grand Master of the Royal Order of Merit from Prince Uchicho. This order is awarded by the monarch to those who have contributed to the Afro-Bolivian community or supported the king.

The heir apparent is Crown Prince Rolando Julio Pinedo Larrea

The Afro-Bolivian Royal House, or "la Casa Real Afroboliviana" in Spanish, is a ceremonial monarchy recognised as part of the Plurinational State of Bolivia. The Royal House is centred in Mururata, a village in the Yungas region of Bolivia. While the Royal House is recognised by the Bolivian state, it does not interfere with the system of the Presidential republic in force within the country. Instead, the monarchy is treated as a customary leader of the Afro-Bolivian community.

The current Afro-Bolivian monarchs are King Julio Pinedo and Queen Angélica Larrea. King Julio I established an order of merit, named in honour of the first Afro-Bolivian king, on 5 January 2012. The king serves as the sovereign Grand Master of the dynastic order, called the Royal Order of Merit from Prince Uchicho.

King Julio and Queen Angélica have a son, Prince Rolando, who was born in 1995. By 2021, he was studying law at the Universidad de Los Andes in La Paz and preparing for his future role as king. The heir apparent is Crown Prince Rolando Julio Pinedo Larrea, the present king's nephew and adopted son.

Crown Prince Rolando has expressed his ambition to continue the work of his father in making the Afro-Bolivian community more recognised and visible. The Afro-Bolivian community is made up of the descendants of enslaved West Africans brought to Bolivia by the Spanish between the 16th and 19th centuries to work in mines. The community has been largely unrecognised by the outside world for nearly 200 years.

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