Bolivia Commemorates 196th Anniversary of Its Independence

President Luis Arce on Friday leads the celebrations of the 196th anniversary of Bolivia's independence.

RELATED:

Bolivia: Luis Arce Inaugurates New Site of Legislative Assembly

At the new congressional headquarters, he will deliver a message to the nation that will highlight the importance of the recovery of democracy in this Andean country, which suffered a U.S.-backed coup d'etat in 2019.

"With a wreath and raising our flags in Murillo Square, we begin the acts for the 196 years of independence of our Bolivia. Long live the united Homeland!", Arce tweeted, adding that he will focus his administration on strengthening the Plurinational State and the unity of the country.

Vice President David Choquehuanca, the high command of the Armed Forces and the Police, and authorities of the Legislative, Executive, Judicial, and Electoral branches will also participate in this session.

During the Spanish colony, the Upper Peru independence began in 1809 with popular insurrections in the cities of Chuquisaca and La Paz. Since then, the Spanish remained constantly besieged by independence forces in which revolutionaries from South America were present.

Among them was Juana Azurduy, a Bolivian woman who led the Indigenous peoples in a guerrilla war. After the Ayacucho Battle in 1824, the armies of Andean patriots entered Upper Peru and liberated the territories that still remained under Spanish domination.

On July 9, 1825, the Constituent Congress proclaimed the independence of the country and defined that it would be celebrated on August 6 to coincide with the first anniversary of the Junin Battle. The new republic adopted its name in honor of Simon Bolivar, who traveled the Andean zone leading the fighting of independence armies in Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia.