A Brief History of Bolivia

Recently, there was news in Bolivia of protests and political unrest and, as one views Bolivia's history, one sees that this has been pretty much status quo for that country. The following is from Compassion's website on the history of the country Fernando is growing up in:

"Beginning in the second century B.C., the Tiwanakan culture developed at the southern end of Lake Titicaca. This culture, centered on and named for the great city of Tiwanaku, developed advanced architectural and agricultural techniques before it disappeared around 1200, perhaps because of extended drought. In about 1450, the Quechua-speaking Incas entered the area of the Bolivian highlands and added it to their empire. They controlled the area until the Spanish conquest in 1525.

During most of the Spanish colonial period, this territory was called "Upper Peru" or "Charcas" and was under the authority of the Viceroy of Lima. Local governments came from the Audiencia de Charcas located in Chuquisaca (La Plata, modern Sucre). Bolivian silver mines produced much of the Spanish empire's wealth, and Potosi, site of the famed Cerro Rico ("Rich Mountain"), was for many years the largest city in the Western Hemisphere. As Spanish royal authority weakened during the Napoleonic wars, sentiment against colonial rule grew. Independence was proclaimed in 1809, but 16 years of struggle followed before the establishment of the republic, named for Simon Bol?r, on Aug. 6, 1825.

Independence did not bring stability. For nearly 60 years, coups and short-lived constitutions dominated Bolivian politics. Bolivia's weakness was demonstrated during the War of the Pacific (1879-83), when it lost its seacoast and the adjoining rich nitrate fields to Chile.

An increase in the world price of silver brought Bolivia a measure of relative prosperity and political stability in the late 1800s. During the early part of the 20th century, tin replaced silver as the country's most important source of wealth. A succession of governments controlled by the economic and social elites followed laissez-faire capitalist policies through the first third of the century.

The period from 1952 to 1964 was marked by significant economic and social reforms in the country and a new constitution was adopted in 1967; however, civil unrest continues to dominate Bolivia's politics and the country remains one of the poorest in Latin America. In December 2005, Bolivians elected Movement Toward Socialism leader Evo Morales, who vowed to change the country's traditional political class and empower the nation's poor majority."

And, as I have been reading, there are many whom are calling for the removal of Morales and Bolivia is faced with instability once again. These are the problems many children in poverty face. Their own governments are too unstable to ever be able to put a plan together to fight this problem.

That's why Compassion needs sponsors. Because there is no one else who can help Fernando and other children.