Exploring Bolivia's German Heritage: Departmental Diversity

Bolivia is a landlocked country in central South America with a population of around 10 million people. The country is divided into nine departments, and the department of Santa Cruz is home to a significant number of German-speaking Mennonites from Russia, with a population of around 40,000 as of 2012. This makes it the department in Bolivia with the highest proportion of German ethnic people.

Mennonites in Bolivia

Mennonites are an Anabaptist society centred on agriculture. They first settled in Bolivia in the 1950s, with large waves of immigrants arriving in the 1960s and 1970s, mostly from Mexico and Paraguay. The Bolivian government granted privileges to future Mennonite immigrants in the 1930s, including freedom of religion, private schools, and exemption from military service, but this was not implemented until the 1950s.

In 2013, there were about 70,000 Mennonites living in Bolivia, with a population of around 150,000 as of 2023. In 2012, there were 23,818 church members in congregations of Russian Mennonites, indicating a total population of about 70,000. Another 1,170 Mennonites were in Spanish-speaking congregations. A 2020 survey found that there are 99 Mennonite colonies in Bolivia.

The first group of Mennonite immigrants to Bolivia consisted of 37 families from various Mennonite colonies in Paraguay. They established the Tres Palmas colony, 25km northeast of Santa Cruz de la Sierra, in 1954. Soon after, a second colony was founded 5km away from Tres Palmas by 25 conservative families from the Menno Colony in Paraguay. These settlers were well-prepared to practice agriculture in a subtropical climate. By 1986, there were about 17,500 Mennonites living in 16 colonies in Bolivia, with a total of 57 colonies by 2011.

The Bolivian Mennonites are descendants of those who settled in the Ukrainian section of the Russian Empire in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, leaving Danzig and the Polish Vistula delta due to annexation by Prussia. After Russia introduced general conscription in 1874, many Mennonites migrated to the US and Canada. The ancestors of the Bolivian Mennonites are those who later left Canada and settled in Mexico, and then in Paraguay, before arriving in Bolivia.

German immigration to Bolivia

After World War II, Bolivia, like many other South American countries, became a refuge for fleeing Nazis. One notable example is Klaus Barbie, an SS and Gestapo functionary who resided in the city of Cochabamba for 30 years and obtained Bolivian citizenship. In Chulumani, a town hidden in the Yungas forests, both Jews fleeing Nazi persecution and high-ranking Nazis fleeing prosecution lived in the same town, creating tension and confusion among the local Bolivian population.

In addition to German Jews and Nazis, Bolivia also experienced immigration waves of Plautdietsch-speaking Mennonites of Dutch and Prussian descent. These Mennonites started immigrating in the 1950s, with large waves in the 1960s and 1970s, mainly from Mexico and Paraguay. By 2010, the total population of German Mennonites in Bolivia was estimated to be around 60,000.

Today, European Bolivians, including those of Spanish and German descent, are a minority ethnic group in Bolivia, accounting for 5% of the country's population. An additional 68% of the population is mestizo, with mixed European and indigenous ancestry.

German-Jewish immigration to Bolivia

During the colonial era, marranos from Spain settled in Bolivia, with some working in the silver mines in Potosí. Marranos were Spanish and Portuguese Jews who had converted to Christianity, yet continued to practise Judaism in secret. In the 19th century, Jewish merchants, both Sephardic and Ashkenazic, came to Bolivia, many of whom married local women and founded families that merged into mainstream Catholic society. This was particularly the case in the eastern regions of Santa Cruz, Tarija, Beni and Pando, where these merchants often arrived from Brazil or Argentina.

In the 20th century, substantial Jewish settlement began in Bolivia. In 1905, a group of Russian Jews settled in the country, followed by Argentine Jews and later a few Sephardi families from modern-day Turkey and the Near East. By 1917, there were an estimated 20 to 25 professing Jews living in Bolivia.

During the 1930s, a large influx of Jewish immigrants arrived in Bolivia, fleeing Nazi persecution in Europe. Between 1938 and 1941, more than 20,000 Jewish refugees were granted visas at Bolivian consulates across Europe and immigrated to the South American nation. This was due in large part to the efforts of Mauricio (Moritz) Hochschild, a German-Jewish mining magnate who controlled one-third of Bolivia's mineral production and had political ties to Bolivian President Germán Busch. With the help of the US-based American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, Hochschild established facilities for the immigrants, many of whom subsequently travelled illegally across Bolivia's borders into neighbouring countries, particularly Argentina.

During World War II, Bolivia ceased diplomatic relations with Germany and expelled many Germans. Many German Jews immigrated to Bolivia during this period.

In more recent times, Bolivia has continued to receive a small number of Jewish immigrants, including Polish Jews after World War II, and Ashkenazi Jews throughout the latter half of the 20th century.

German-Bolivian demographics

German-Bolivians are people of full, partial, or predominantly German descent, or German-born people residing in Bolivia. German immigrants began arriving in Bolivia in the 18th century, with many more arriving in the 19th century. During World War II, Bolivia expelled many Germans and ceased diplomatic relations with Germany, though many German Jews immigrated to Bolivia during the war.

A notable group of German-Bolivians are the Mennonites, who began immigrating in the 1950s, with large waves in the 1960s and 1970s, mainly from Mexico and Paraguay. In 2012, there were an estimated 70,000 German Mennonites in Bolivia, with a population of 60,000 estimated in 2010. The Mennonites are a substantial and growing part of the Germanic population in Bolivia and are of Dutch and Prussian descent.

In the 1900 official Bolivian census, 295 Germans were living in the country, and they constituted 0.14% of the population. In a 2014 survey by Ipsos, 3% of respondents identified as white. According to a 2018 estimate of racial classification, 5% of the population was white, with 68% mestizo (mixed white and Amerindian), 20% indigenous, 2% cholo, 1% black, 4% other, and 2% unspecified. White Bolivians are predominantly of Spanish and German descent, and to a lesser extent, Italian and Croatian.

German-Bolivians are found throughout the country, with notable concentrations in the largest cities like Santa Cruz and La Paz. In the Santa Cruz Department, there is a significant colony of approximately 70,000 German-speaking Mennonites.

German-Bolivians have made notable contributions to various fields in Bolivia, including politics, sports, arts, and science. Some notable German-Bolivians include:

• Lidia Gueiler Tejada, the first female President of Bolivia
• Erwin Sánchez Freking, a footballer
• Germán Busch, a military officer and President
• Hugo Banzer, a military officer and twice President
• Ronald Rivero Kuhn, a footballer

German-Bolivian notable figures

German-Bolivians are individuals of full, partial, or predominantly German descent, or German-born people residing in Bolivia. German immigrants began arriving in Bolivia in the 18th century, with waves of immigration continuing into the 19th century. During World War II, many Germans were expelled from Bolivia, and diplomatic relations with Germany were severed. However, during this time, many German Jews found refuge in Bolivia.

Ronald Rivero Kuhn: Footballer.

Hugo Banzer: Military officer and twice President of Bolivia.

Germán Busch: Military officer and President of Bolivia during World War II. He played a crucial role in admitting Jewish refugees escaping Nazi persecution.

Luciano Durán Böger: Writer and poet.

Enrique Hertzog: Physician and President of Bolivia.

Pato Hoffmann: Actor and theater director.

Noel Kempff: Biologist and environmentalist.

Jaime Mirtenbaum Zenamon: Classical guitarist and composer.

Alberto Natusch: Military officer and dictator.

Erwin Sánchez Freking: Footballer.

Achim von Kries: German military officer.

Blanca Wiethüchter: Writer and poet.

Jorge Wilstermann: Aviator.

Lidia Gueiler Tejada: Politician and the first female President of Bolivia. She was also the second woman in the Americas to become a head of state.

Luis Gamarra Mayser: Singer and songwriter.

Rodrigo Mendoza Heinrich: American War Hero.

Pedro Kramer: Historian and diplomat.

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