Sucre

Sucre – “la ciudad blanca” or white city – is undoubtedly Bolivia’s most serene city, renowned across the country for its beautiful, well-kept center and pleasant temperature (or perhaps South America). While it has unique attractions like as ancient buildings and famous theater, as well as indigenous culture and prehistoric sites in the neighboring towns and countryside, the highlight of Sucre may be its calm environment, which keeps many visitors for much longer than anticipated.

Sucre’s history has always been intertwined with that of Potos. The city developed to prominence as a desirable resort for affluent and prominent persons associated with the Potos silver mining. Although Sucre is a “colonial” city, its architecture is more akin to a later, neo-classical style. Potos’s disheveled, crooked streets better portray the chaotic urban planning of early colonization and the silver rush, while Sucre’s tidy, exquisite streets are a product of the riches afterwards created by the silver trade. Sucre’s original name, Ciudad de la Plata de la Nueva Toledo (city of the silver of New Toledo), emphasizes the city’s reliance on silver.

The Spanish King Philip II created an Audiencia in Sucre in the mid-16th century, with authority over what was then known as Upper Peru, that is, the region south and east of Cusco and embracing what is now Bolivia, Paraguay, northern Chile, and Argentina. Although the Audiencia granted Sucre some autonomy, it remained a department of the Viceroyalty of Peru. Sucre flourished in the early 17th century, with the establishment of a bishopric and monasteries of several religious orders. Sucre is still a center for the Catholic church in Bolivia today.

St Francis Xavier College of Chuquisaca was established in the city in 1624. This university is still in operation and is regarded as one of the best in the nation, as well as the second oldest in the Americas. Sucre’s football team, Universitario, plays in the Bolivian division and is affiliated with St. Francis Xavier College.

Sucre has long been renowned as a center for progressive ideas, and it was from here that one of South America’s earliest independence efforts started in 1809. Bolivia, despite this, was one of the last South American nations to obtain independence, in 1825. When Bolivia gained independence, Sucre was designated as the country’s capital.

As the silver industry declined in prominence, authority migrated from Sucre to La Paz, and the seat of Bolivian government was relocated to La Paz towards the end of the nineteenth century. Sucre is still Bolivia’s constitutional capital, although only the judicial arm of government is situated there. This is still a point of contention for Sucreos.

Sucre has become a more conservative city in recent years, as the Evo Morales administration and its ambitions for reform and economic redistribution have endangered the city’s ancient riches and influence. During the 2009 referendum, Sucre overwhelmingly rejected Morales’ proposed new constitution. Morales remains a very unpopular figure in the city, and the city has seen regular outbreaks of protest since his victory in 2005, often accompanied by racial violence against the impoverished indigenous and rural voters who supported him.

Sucre has a subtropical highland climate (Köppen: Cwb) with pleasant temperatures throughout the year.

The highest temperature ever recorded was 34.7 °C (94.5 °F), while the lowest temperature ever recorded was 6 °C (21 °F).