Sucre facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sucre Sukri, Chuquisaca, Charcas
Capital city
Panoramic view Gran Mariscal Sucre Theater Church of San Francisco Gran Mariscal Sucre Theater, Church of San Francisco, Panoramic view of historic Sucre
Flag Seal
Nickname(s):  La Ciudad de los cuatro Nombres (The City of the four names)
Motto(s):  Aqui nació la Libertad (Freedom was born here)
Sucre Location in Bolivia Show map of Bolivia Sucre Location in South America Show map of South America
Country	Bolivia
Department	Chuquisaca Department
Province	Oropeza Province
Founded	1538 Pre-Hispanic Times: Charcas September 29, 1538 (official): La Plata de la Nueva Toledo (City of The Silver of the New Toledo) August 6, 1826: Sucre (Capital Section)
Founded by	Pedro Anzures as "La Plata" in 1538
Government
• Type	C.S. Municipal Autonomous Government
Area
• Capital city	1,768 km2 (683 sq mi)
Elevation	2,790 m (9,150 ft)
Population  (2021)
• Capital city	360,544
• Density	203.93/km2 (528.17/sq mi)
• Metro	390,000
Demonym(s)	Capitalino (a) Sucrense
Time zone	UTC−04:00 (Bolivia Time)
• Summer (DST)	(Not Observed)
Area code	(+591) 4
Climate	Cwb
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Official name	Historic City of Sucre
Criteria	Cultural: iv
Inscription	1991 (15th Session)

Sucre (Spanish: [ˈsukɾe]) is the de jure capital city of Bolivia, the capital of the Chuquisaca Department and the sixth most populous city in Bolivia. Located in the south-central part of the country, Sucre lies at an elevation of 2,790 m (9,150 ft). This relatively high altitude gives the city a subtropical highland climate with cool temperatures year-round. Over the centuries, the city has received various names, including La Plata, Charcas, and Chuquisaca.

Today, the region is of predominantly Quechua background, with some Aymara communities and influences.

Sucre holds major national importance and is an educational and government center, as well as the location of the Bolivian Supreme Court. Its pleasant climate and low crime rates have made the city popular amongst foreigners and Bolivians alike. Notably, Sucre contains one of the best preserved Hispanic colonial and republican historic city centres in the Western Hemisphere - similar to cities such as Cuzco and Quito. This architectural heritage and the millenarian history of the Charcas region has led to Sucre's designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The city has held an important place in Bolivian history from its place as an important center in the Real Audencia de Charcas, and later as the first capital of Bolivia before the fall of silver's importance as a global mineral commodity. Some regional tension remains from the historical transfer of capital functions to La Paz, and even today the issue features an important role in local culture and political ideology.

History

Prior to Spanish colonization, Sucre was an Inca town called Chuquisaca, a name that remains an alternative designation for the city today. The name Chuquisaca possibly derives from the Quechua words chuqi, meaning 'precious metal' or 'silver', and shaqa or saqa, meaning 'abundance', 'a heap', or 'a pile of small things', thus translating to 'a heap of precious metal' or 'a pile of silver'.

Chuquisaca was the provincial capital of the wamani of Charca, established after Topa Inka Yupanqui conquered the Aymara kingdom that originally occupied the area and imposed the Quechua language on them. According to Inca Garcilaso de la Vega, the Inca ruler received ambassadors from the kingdom of Tucman (Tucumán) while in Charca. Due to their warrior background, the Charcas were excluded from various state duties and many served as soldiers, being recruited in large numbers by Wayna Qhapaq for northern campaigns. During Wayna Qhapaq's wars in modern-day Ecuador, the Guarani-speaking Chiriguanos from Paraguay invaded the Charcas frontier, aided by a band of European explorers. Although the Chiriguanos were repelled by commanders sent by Wayna Qhapaq from Quito, the Portuguese conquistador Aleixo Garcia is believed to be the first European to make contact with Charcas in 1525.

Although the Inca territories south of Cusco were assigned to the head conquistador Diego de Almagro, there is no record of him visiting Chuquisaca and the Charcas territory during his 1535 expedition to Collasuyo. After Almagro's murder in 1538, Francisco Pizarro, sent his brothers Gonzalo Pizarro and Hernando Pizarro to Charcas to claim the region. Hernando Pizarro traveled to Chuquisaca along with the Emperor Paullu Inca. During their visit, they met with Consara, the principal lord of the Charcas region. Consara provided crucial information about the resources of Charca, including silver mines in Porco, gold mines in Chiutamarca, copper mines in Aytacara, and tin mines in Chayanta. The settlement was briefly occupied by Diego Méndez, under the orders of Diego de Almagro II, during Almagro II's uprising against Pizarro and the Spanish government.

The Spanish foundation of Sucre occurred on November 30, 1538, under the name Ciudad de la Plata de la Nueva Toledo (City of Silver of New Toledo) by Pedro Anzures, Marqués de Campo Redondo. In 1559, the Spanish King Philip II established the Audiencia de Charcas in La Plata with authority over an area which covers what is now Paraguay, southeastern Peru, northern Chile and Argentina, and much of Bolivia. The Real Audiencia of Charcas was a subdivision of the Viceroyalty of Peru until 1776, when it was transferred to the newly created Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata. In 1601 the Recoleta Monastery was founded by the Franciscans. In 1609, an archbishopric was founded in the city. In 1624 St Francis Xavier University of Chuquisaca was founded.

Chuquisaca -as was its colonial name- in 1615 by the Inca painter Guamán Poma in his work "Nueva corónica y buen gobierno". Royal Library, Denmark.

Very much a Spanish city during the colonial era, the narrow streets of the city centre are organised in a grid, reflecting the Andalusian culture that is embodied in the architecture of the city's great houses and numerous convents and churches. Sucre remains the seat of the Roman Catholic Church in Bolivia, and a common sight is members of religious orders dressed in traditional habit. For much of its colonial history, Sucre's temperate climate was preferred by the Spanish royalty and wealthy families involved in silver trade coming from Potosí. Sucre's University (Universidad Mayor Real y Pontificia de San Francisco Xavier de Chuquisaca) is one of the oldest universities in the new world.

Festival time in Sucre

On May 25, 1809, the Bolivian independence movement was started with the ringing of the bell of the Basilica of Saint Francisco. This bell was rung to the point of breakage, but it can still be found in the Basilica today: it is one of the most precious relics of the city. Until the 19th century, La Plata was the judicial, religious and cultural centre of the region. It was proclaimed provisional capital of the newly independent Upper Peru (later, Bolivia) in July 1826. On July 12, 1839, President José Miguel de Velasco proclaimed a law naming the city as the capital of Bolivia, and renaming it in honor of the revolutionary leader Antonio José de Sucre. After the economic decline of Potosí and its silver industry, the Bolivian seat of government was moved from Sucre to La Paz in 1898. Many argue Sucre was the location of the beginning of the Latin American independence movement against Spain. From that point of view, Bolivia was the last Spanish imperial territory in South America to gain its independence, in 1825. In 1991, Sucre became a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Geography and territorial organization

Sucre, Bolivia

Sucre is divided into eight numbered districts: the first five of these are urban districts, while Districts 6, 7, and 8 are rural districts. Each is administered by a Sub-Mayor (Spanish: Subalcalde), appointed by the Mayor of Sucre. The rural districts include numerous rural communities outside the urban area.

Sucre is served by Alcantari Airport, situated 30 km (19 mi) to the South.

Climate

Sucre has a subtropical highland climate (Köppen: Cwb), with mild temperatures year round. Rain generally falls in summer thunderstorms.

The highest record temperature was 34.7 °C (94.5 °F) while the lowest record temperature was −6 °C (21 °F)

The City of Four Names

Sucre, the capital of Bolivia.

Each of the well known names represent a specific era of the city's history:

• Charcas was the indigenous name for the place upon which the Spaniards built the colonial city.
• La Plata was the name given to the emerging Hispanic city of privilege and honor.
• The name Chuquisaca was bestowed upon the city during the independence era.
• Sucre honors the great marshal of the Battle of Ayacucho (December 9, 1824), Antonio José de Sucre.
• "La Ciudad Blanca" is a nickname that was bestowed upon the city because many of the colonial style houses and structures are painted white.

Sports

Sucre has the most important sport facilities in Bolivia, and the most practiced sport in the city is football. Sucre has the second-biggest football and Olympic stadium in the country, the Estadio Patria. As of the 2019 Apertura, the 2008 champion club Universitario de Sucre was relegated from the Bolivian professional league, leaving the city without a first-division team.

Other sports are also practiced, such as swimming at la Piscina Bolivariana, basketball at numerous courts around the city, as well as taekwondo, kung fu, volleyball, tennis and racquetball.

Economy

The Mercado Campesino marketplace is the largest in Sucre.

Education

Sucre is home to the second oldest public university in the Americas, the Universidad Mayor Real y Pontificia de San Francisco Xavier de Chuquisaca; often abbreviated USFX. The university draws students both nationally and internationally, and different departments can be found scattered around the city. Degree areas at USFX include law, political science, medicine, odontology, chemistry, business administration, financial sciences, and more.

The city also features other academic institutions such as a campus of the private university Universidad Privada del Valle, also known as Univalle, the National Teachers School (Escuela Nacional de Maestros "Mariscal Sucre"), the Universidad Privada Domingo Savio, and the Universidad Andina Simón Bolívar.

Architecture

The city of Sucre contains many old and classic buildings.

The House of Freedom

View of House of Freedom from the main square

May 25th square

Built in 1621, it is perhaps the most important building of the nation. The republic was founded in this building by Simón Bolívar who wrote the Bolivian Constitution.
The "Salón de la Independencia" houses the Bolivian Declaration of Independence.

National Library

Built on the same year of the foundation of the Republic, it is the first and the most important historical, bibliographical and documentation center of the country. The National Library has documents that date from 16th century.

Metropolitan Cathedral

Built between 1559 and 1712, the cathedral has the "Museo Catedraliceo" which is the first and most important religious museum of the country. The "Pinacoteca" has a vast collection of paintings by Colonial and Republican masters and also by Europeans such as Bitti, Fourchaudt and Van Dyck. The Cathedral contains a vast amount of jewelry made of gold, silver and gemstones.

Archbishop's Palace

Built in 1609, was an important religious and historic institution during colonial times.

Supreme Court of Justice

On July 16, 1827, the Supreme Court of the Nation was established. Its first president was Dr. Manuel Maria Urcullo. Others prominent in its history include Dr. Pantaleon Dalence, who was twice president of the Supreme Court and through his qualities became known as the 'Father of Bolivian Justice'. This institution was installed in several places before moving to its current building. It was designed in the neoclassical style under the canons of French academicism and was inaugurated on May 25, 1945.

General Cemetery

Some of the areas date from the late nineteenth century. Ornate mausoleums, tombs and gardens with magnificent old trees populate the space that is home to the graves of important people in the arts, sciences and the history both of Bolivia and of Latin America.

Churches and Convents

Plaza Principal, Main Square, Sucre

Sucre Cathedral

• San Felipe Nery
• San Francisco
• La Recoleta
• Santa Teresa
• Santa Clara
• Santo Domingo
• San Lazaro (The oldest church in the country and ex-Cathedral of Sucre)
• San Sebastian
• Iglesia de la Merced
• San Agustín
• Santa Mónica
• Santa Barbara
• San Miguel

Chapels

• Loreto's Chapel
• Virgen de Guadalupe

Transportation

The city is served by Alcantarí Airport with multiple domestic destinations on three commercial airlines.

Twin towns – sister cities

• La Plata, Argentina
• San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina
• Ushuaia, Argentina
• Concepción, Chile

See also

In Spanish: Sucre para niños