Bolivians: A Diverse Mix Of Indigenous And European Heritage

Bolivia is a multiethnic country with a population of around 11 million people. The majority of Bolivians are Native South Americans (Amerindians) and those with mixed Native American and European ancestry (Mestizos). Minority ethnic groups include Europeans, Asians, and Africans. The sole common language of Bolivians is Spanish, although several indigenous languages are also widely spoken.

Amerindians (Quechua, Aymara, Guaraní peoples)

Amerindians, also known as Indigenous Bolivians or Native South Americans, are the predominant racial group in Bolivia. They are the descendants of the Pre-Hispanic cultures that existed before the Spanish conquest of South America. Amerindians are made up of various ethnic groups, including the Quechua, Aymara, and Guaraní peoples.

Quechua

The Quechua people are indigenous to South America and are the largest ethnic group in Bolivia, with a population of around 1.8 million. They are native to Peru but are also found in significant numbers in Ecuador, Chile, Colombia, and Argentina. The Quechua people speak the Quechua languages, which originated in Peru. While there are various dialects of Quechua, the most common one is Southern Quechua. The Kichwa people of Ecuador speak the Kichwa dialect, while the Inga people of Colombia speak Inga Kichwa.

The Quechua people have a rich cultural heritage and are known for their traditional handicrafts, such as weaving using natural dyes and wool from llamas and alpacas. Their traditional diet includes potatoes, quinoa, ch'arki (dried meat), and pachamanca (a pit cooking technique using various meats and vegetables).

Aymara

The Aymara people are indigenous to the Andes and Altiplano regions of South America, with a population of approximately 2.3 million. They are mainly found in Bolivia, Peru, Chile, and Argentina. The early history of the Aymara people is uncertain, but it is believed that they have lived in the region for many centuries before becoming subjects of the Inca Empire in the 15th or 16th century. The Aymara language is widely spoken, and they have a unique flag known as the Wiphala, which represents their geographical regions and indigenous rights.

The Aymara people have a strong sense of community and are known for their joint work practices, such as mink'a (working together for common projects) and ayni (reciprocal assistance). They have a deep spiritual connection to the land and nature, worshipping the spirits of the high mountains and altiplano as protective entities.

Guaraní

The Guaraní people are indigenous to South America and are found in Bolivia, as well as Paraguay, Brazil, and Argentina. They constitute a significant portion of the indigenous population in Bolivia, particularly in the departments of Santa Cruz, Beni, Tarija, and Pando. The Guaraní language is widely spoken and is recognized as an official language in Bolivia, along with Spanish.

Mestizos (mixed European and indigenous ancestry)

The term "Mestizo" refers to a person of mixed European and Indigenous non-European ancestry in the former Spanish Empire. In Latin America, it may also refer to people who are culturally European even though their ancestors are Indigenous. The term was first used in the colonial era as an ethno-racial exonym for mixed-race castas. It was a formal label used in official documents such as censuses, parish registers, and Inquisition trials. The term is derived from the Latin mixticius, meaning "mixed".

In Bolivia, Mestizos are people of mixed European and indigenous ancestry. They make up about 68% of the Bolivian population, although some sources place this figure at 70%. Most Mestizos assume their Mestizo identity while also identifying with one or more Indigenous cultures. Genetic research indicates that the ancestry of Bolivian Mestizos is predominantly Indigenous.

The term "Mestizo" has evolved over time. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it was used in Peru to refer to those with evidence of mixed ethno-racial descent and access—usually monetary—to secondary educational institutions. After the Mexican Revolution, the Mexican government adopted and promoted the "Mestizo" ideology to create a unified Mexican identity without racial distinctions. By the 1930s, racial identities other than "Indigenous" had disappeared from the Mexican census, and all Mexicans who did not speak Indigenous languages were considered Mestizo.

In modern times, the term has taken on a more cultural meaning in Latin America, with Indio being reserved for people who have maintained a separate Indigenous ethnic and cultural identity, language, and tribal affiliation. The term "Mestizaje", derived from "Mestizo", refers to the positive unity of race mixtures in modern Latin America and is used in contrast to the term "miscegenation", which carries negative connotations.

In Bolivia, the Indigenous peoples, also known as Amerindians or "originarios" ("native" or "original"), constitute 20% of the population, although this number is likely closer to 62-70%. They include the descendants of Pre-Hispanic cultures, such as the Andean Aymaras and Quechuas, who formed the ancient Inca Empire, and the oriental ethnic population, which includes the Chiquitano, Guaraní, and Moxos, among others. The White or European Bolivians, on the other hand, represent only 5% of the population.

Europeans (Spanish, German, Italian, Croatian)

European Bolivians are a minority ethnic group in Bolivia, making up only 5% of the country's population. However, a further 68% of the population is mestizo, with mixed European and indigenous ancestry. Most European Bolivians descend from Spanish settlers, with the country having been colonised by Spain for almost 300 years.

Spanish

The Basques were a large source of Spanish and European immigration from the late 16th to early 20th centuries. Most came as shepherds and ranchers to Bolivia's vast livestock industry.

German

German immigrants began to arrive in Bolivia in the 18th century, and many more arrived in the 19th century. During World War II, Bolivia ceased diplomatic relations with Germany and expelled many Germans. However, many German Jews also immigrated to Bolivia during the war. A substantial and growing part of the Germanic population in Bolivia are Plautdietsch-speaking Mennonites from Russia, who are of Dutch and Prussian descent. Bolivia's largest pharmaceutical company, Inti SA, was founded by German immigrant Ernesto W. N. Schilling Huhn.

Italian

Italians are among the other European immigrant groups in Bolivia, though they are less numerous than Spanish and German immigrants.

Croatian

Croatian immigration to Bolivia began in the 19th century, during the settlement of the Chaco plains of central South America. The Croatian government estimates that the Croatian diaspora in Bolivia has an estimated 5,000 people, including immigrants and descendants of third and fourth generation. The first Croatian immigrants, mostly from the province of Dalmatia, arrived between the mid-19th century and early 20th centuries. These immigrants settled mainly in the eastern region of the country, in the city of Santa Cruz, in Cochabamba, and in the southern region, around Tarija.

Afro-Bolivians (descendants of African slaves)

Afro-Bolivians are the descendants of African slaves during the Spanish Empire. They are Bolivian people of Sub-Saharan African heritage and constitute 1% of the total population of Bolivia. The Afro-Bolivian community is ceremonially led by a king, currently Julio Pinedo, who traces his lineage back to a line of monarchs that reigned in Africa during the medieval period. The current monarchy is descended from Uchicho, who was allegedly of Kongo and Senegalese origin and was brought to Bolivia as a slave. Uchicho was recognised as a king by other slaves due to his royal tribal marks, and was crowned in 1823.

Afro-Bolivians are mainly found in the Department of La Paz, in the Nor Yungas and Sud Yungas provinces. The Yungas region is home to the Afro-Bolivian community, one of the last remaining tribal kingdoms in the world. The Afro-Bolivian Royal House is a ceremonial monarchy officially recognised as part of the Plurinational State in Bolivia. The region is difficult to access due to its jungles and rivers, and the people there are mainly farmers, growing cocoa, coffee, and other crops.

The Afro-Bolivian community has had to fight to preserve its culture, and many elements have been lost. They have experienced severe racism, isolation, and intolerance. The biggest African influence in Bolivian culture is Saya music or La Saya, which involves Andean instruments incorporated with African percussion. The primary instrument is the drum, passed on by their African ancestors. During the performance of Saya, the Afro-Bolivians wear Aymara-style clothing. The women wear a bright multi-coloured blouse with ribbons, a multi-coloured skirt called a "pollera", with a "manta" (back cover) in their hand, and a bowler hat. The men wear a hat, a feast shirt, an Aymara-style sash around the waist, woollen thick cloth pants called "bayeta pants", and sandals.

Afro-Bolivians, in addition to being Roman Catholic, incorporate elements of African diasporic religions such as rituals in the Macumba and Voodoo religions that have influenced their practice of Christianity, mainly prevalent in the towns of Chicaloma and Mururata.

Asians (Japanese, Lebanese)

Bolivia is a multi-ethnic and multilingual country, with a population of around 11 million people from various ethnic, religious, and national backgrounds. The majority of the population is made up of indigenous peoples and Old World immigrants and their descendants. One source states that there are 14,000 Bolivian citizens of Japanese descent, while another source gives a figure of 12,900 Bolivian people of Lebanese descent.

Japanese Bolivians

Japanese Bolivians are people of Japanese ancestry or Japanese-born people who reside in Bolivia. The first Japanese settlers in Bolivia came from neighbouring Peru, where their work contracts ended before the 1950s. Most of these settlers were from Okinawa, while others came from the Gifu, Hiroshima, Kanagawa, and Osaka prefectures. In 1899, 91 Japanese workers entered the Mapiri River Region in La Paz and were assigned to work on rubber plantations. Since then, a few hundred more Japanese labourers have migrated to the Andes Mountains to work in mining and railroad construction. The inland Amazon River region was the second main destination for Japanese workers, who also came through Peru to work on rubber plantations in northwestern Bolivia.

During the 1930s, most Japanese settlers remained in Bolivia, and many brought wives from Japan, while others married local women. When World War II began, only 29 Japanese Bolivians were deported to the United States, and the local government did not implement anti-Japanese measures. Since the end of the war, the Bolivian government has welcomed Japanese refugees. Treaties after 1954 brought a new chapter of Japanese Bolivian history, with a massive influx of agricultural settlers from Okinawa and mainland Japan. With financial help from the Japanese government, Colonia Okinawa and Colonia San Juan de Yapacaní were established. While Colonia Okinawa grows soy and wheat, San Juan de Yapacaní specialises in rice and egg production. Many descendants of the first settlers have since moved to the nearby city of Santa Cruz de la Sierra.

First-generation Japanese settlers generally use Japanese in their daily discourse and cannot speak Spanish fluently. Subsequent generations have decreased fluency in the Japanese language due to the absence of Japanese-language schools in communes and speak Spanish more fluently than the first generation. Many first-generation settlers in Colonia Okinawa still speak the Okinawan language.

Lebanese Bolivians

Lebanese Bolivians are part of the Lebanese diaspora, which refers to Lebanese migrants and their descendants who emigrated from Lebanon and now reside in other countries. There are more people of Lebanese origin living outside of Lebanon than within the country, with a diaspora population of around 4 to 14 million people compared to an internal population of around 4.6 million citizens in 2020. The Lebanese diaspora is made up of Christians, Muslims, Druze, and Jews, with the Christian population tracing their origin to several waves of emigration, starting with the exodus that followed the 1860 Lebanon conflict in the Ottoman Empire.

The largest Lebanese diaspora community resides in Brazil, with between 5 and 7 million people, followed by Colombia and Argentina, with about 1 to 3 million each. Other large Lebanese communities in Latin America are found in Paraguay and Venezuela.

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