History of Bolivia

Hans Kundt (28 February 1869, Neustrelitz, Mecklenburg-Strelitz – 30 August 1939, Lugano, Switzerland) was a German military officer from a family of military officers. He was the primary military figure of Bolivia during the two decades preceding the Chaco War.

Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar Palacios Ponte y Blanco (24July 1783 – 17December 1830) was a Venezuelan military and political leader who led what are currently the countries of Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Panama, and Bolivia to independence from the Spanish Empire. He is known colloquially as El Libertador, or the Liberator of America.

Bartolina Sisa Vargas (c. 1750 – 5 September 1782) was an Aymaran woman and indigenous heroine who led numerous revolts against the Spanish rule in Charcas, then part of the Viceroyalty of Peru and present-day Bolivia. Alongside her husband, the indigenous leader Túpac Katari, she participated in the organisation of indigenous military camps that took part in the siege of La Paz. She was betrayed and turned in to the Spanish authorities, who later executed her.

Juana Azurduy de Padilla (July 12, 1780 – May 25, 1862) was a guerrilla military leader from Chuquisaca, Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata (now Sucre, Bolivia). She fought for Bolivian independence alongside her husband, Manuel Ascencio Padilla, earning the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. She was noted for her strong support for and military leadership of the indigenous people of Upper Peru. In Buenos Aires, Argentina, in a controversial political move, statue of Azurduy replaced the one of Christopher Columbus in front of the Casa Rosada, at the time she was a largely forgotten historical figure.

Túpac Katari or Catari (also Túpaj Katari) (c. 1750 – November 13, 1781), born Julián Apasa Nina, was the indigenous Aymara leader of a major insurrection in colonial-era Upper Peru (now Bolivia), laying siege to La Paz for six months. His wife Bartolina Sisa and his sister Gregoria Apaza participated in the rebellion by his side. The rebellion was ultimately put down by Spanish loyalists and Katari was executed by quartering.

Jorge Vázquez Viaña (born 2 January 1939 in La Paz; Bolivia, presumed dead, May 1967; Nickname: El Loro or Bigotes) was a Bolivian revolutionary. He was part of the intellectual revolutionary guerrilla group of Che Guevara.

Commandante Manuel Ascencio Padilla (or Manuel Ascensio Padilla) (September 26, 1774 – September 14, 1816) was an Upper Peruvian guerrilla chief who fought in the Bolivian War of Independence with his wife, Juana Azurduy de Padilla who shared his commitment towards Bolivian indigenous populations. The town of Padilla, Bolivia is named in his honor.

José María Pérez de Urdininea (31 October 1784 – 4 November 1865) was President of Bolivia and the first to be born in Bolivia itself. He fought with the patriots against the Argentines in Peru. Despite being President for only three months, Pérez held a number of important positions in the Bolivian government including Minister of War between 1841 and 1847.

Alfonso Gumucio Reyes (Bolivia, 1914) was a political leader of the Movimiento Nacionalista Revolucionario (MNR) and one of its founding members in 1940. After the triumph of the Revolution of April 9, 1952, Gumucio Reyes became the President of the Corporación Boliviana de Fomento (CBF), the State institution in charge of economic development and infrastructure. As such he was responsible for several development projects, such as the Planta Industralizadora de Leche (PIL) in Cochabamba; the Ingenio Guabirá, a sugar mill in Santa Cruz; and the main roads from the highlands to the eastern part of the country, the lower lands.

Moritz (Mauricio) Hochschild (February 17, 1881 – June 12, 1965) was a leading mining industry businessman in the first half of the twentieth century. Along with Simón Iturri Patiño and Carlos Víctor Aramayo, one of the three so-called Bolivian tin barons. Additionally, he saved thousands of Jews during the Holocaust by facilitating their legal admission to Bolivia.