"Recovering the Memory" - Chapter 1: Bolivia's Destiny - Part 1
Day 2,048, 12:23
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Published in Bolivia 
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by
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by Treinta Monedas
From the book "Recuperando la Memoria" written by Rafael Puente
When understanding Bolivia comes to our minds, there are two basic questions to think about. The first one: How come did this country named Bolivia come to existence?
First Question:
How come, with such cultural disparity as it was also econmical, geographical, historical and political the diference between the regions and elements from the east compared to the west, was a nation formed from? Not as those other countries that from a simple sight seems logical to have them formed.
Let's take Chile for example: It is logical to have the long and narrow fringe between the Andes and the Pacific Ocean as a country. It is also logical to have as a country the large land from the Andes to the Atlantic Ocean which we know as Argentina. Also with the ground between the Paraguay and Paraná rivers, which has been historically the land of the Guaranies. But Bolivia? Geographically and culturally, in Bolivia the east and the west have less in common between themselves than each region with the countries on its borders.
In our country those regions and cultures coexist as forced to, and so, even contradicting themselves when not trying to ignore themselves. La Paz has more in common with Perú than with Santa Cruz. Tarija is more like the North of Argentina than how it is with Oruro or Potosí. Santa Cruz has more features in common with Paraguay than with Cochabamba. Beni and Pando could easily be taken as part of Brasil instead of being asociated to Bolivia as Chuquisaca is. Though, instead of shaping each region a nation with their respective bordering countries, all those regions and ethnicities with its disparities are all together in this Bolivia which by today is182 187 years old nation. What kind of liberty does Bolivia enjoy?
The most populated region of this country, the ancient Qollasuyo, belonged to the Incas' Tawantinsuyu. By the time of the Incas it was already controversially shaped by different tribes, but all those sharing a lot of history and culture. But the people of the lowlands, the other two third parts of territory in Bolivia, never shared a geopolitical, cultural, historical or any kind of unity with the west neither with each other.
Between the ethnicities of the lowlands there were the people of Moxos and some others near to the Amazon, to the South there were the people of the Chaco with its Guaraní heritage, and in between, where the Precambrian Shield is, there were the Chiquitanos and the rest of the peoples of the Chiquitanía.
It isn't normal neither logical the existence of this country shaping the same nation as it is with Chile or Argentina for example. And to explain all this weird national conformation it's not enough just to tell about the Audiencia de Charcas which is the closest explanation we can think about. Then we would have a question left without answer: What was this Audiencia de Charcas all about?
Till here we have one of the two questions still without answer, but we need the second question before answering anything.
When understanding Bolivia comes to our minds, there are two basic questions to think about. The first one: How come did this country named Bolivia come to existence?
First Question:
How come, with such cultural disparity as it was also econmical, geographical, historical and political the diference between the regions and elements from the east compared to the west, was a nation formed from? Not as those other countries that from a simple sight seems logical to have them formed.
Let's take Chile for example: It is logical to have the long and narrow fringe between the Andes and the Pacific Ocean as a country. It is also logical to have as a country the large land from the Andes to the Atlantic Ocean which we know as Argentina. Also with the ground between the Paraguay and Paraná rivers, which has been historically the land of the Guaranies. But Bolivia? Geographically and culturally, in Bolivia the east and the west have less in common between themselves than each region with the countries on its borders.
In our country those regions and cultures coexist as forced to, and so, even contradicting themselves when not trying to ignore themselves. La Paz has more in common with Perú than with Santa Cruz. Tarija is more like the North of Argentina than how it is with Oruro or Potosí. Santa Cruz has more features in common with Paraguay than with Cochabamba. Beni and Pando could easily be taken as part of Brasil instead of being asociated to Bolivia as Chuquisaca is. Though, instead of shaping each region a nation with their respective bordering countries, all those regions and ethnicities with its disparities are all together in this Bolivia which by today is
The most populated region of this country, the ancient Qollasuyo, belonged to the Incas' Tawantinsuyu. By the time of the Incas it was already controversially shaped by different tribes, but all those sharing a lot of history and culture. But the people of the lowlands, the other two third parts of territory in Bolivia, never shared a geopolitical, cultural, historical or any kind of unity with the west neither with each other.
Between the ethnicities of the lowlands there were the people of Moxos and some others near to the Amazon, to the South there were the people of the Chaco with its Guaraní heritage, and in between, where the Precambrian Shield is, there were the Chiquitanos and the rest of the peoples of the Chiquitanía.
It isn't normal neither logical the existence of this country shaping the same nation as it is with Chile or Argentina for example. And to explain all this weird national conformation it's not enough just to tell about the Audiencia de Charcas which is the closest explanation we can think about. Then we would have a question left without answer: What was this Audiencia de Charcas all about?
Till here we have one of the two questions still without answer, but we need the second question before answering anything.
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Polear o no Polear .... e ahí el dilema
v
votado!!
Spanish or GFTO!
Spanish version? Version en español?
No lo pongo en español porque podría encontrarme con que me quieran hacer problema por no haber pedido permisos para publicar algo que no me pertenece.
español que esto es bolivia
V + S!!!
El articulo esta interesante, pero no concuerdo con el. Mas diversidad, desigualdad económica y demás cosas mencionadas en el articulo las tiene U.S.A. y aun asi salieron adelante como nación y nadie se cuestiona porque son nación. Todas las etnias o grupos son similares, son colectivos indígenas repartidas por todo nuestro territorio, el problema fue la llegada de los españoles y su nueva estructura social, que hasta hoy algunos como Formic intentan mantenerla. La desigualdad económica también fue generada inclusive por maniobras políticas de dictadores como Banzer....
Para finalizar, me parece increíble poner cosas como esta y que todos comentemos, opinemos, podemos educarnos mutuamente y aprender cada dia un poco mas.
El texto no expresa mi punto de vista, solo lo estoy citando como podría citar un Guillermo Lora por ejemplo, sin embargo no soy de la misma ideología, solo valoro los puntos de vista distintos a los míos y los expongo para que cada quien aporte algo desde su criterio y se de un interesante diálogo.
No lo pongo en español porque podría encontrarme con que me quieran hacer problema por no haber pedido permisos para publicar algo que no me pertenece.