The beautiful city of Sucre is the constitutional capital city of Bolivia, the seat of the Supreme Court and the capital city of the department of Chuquisaca. The city is located in the south-center of the country at an altitude of 2,750 masl (9,100 feet). Sucre is also known as Chuquisaca, Charcas and La Plata, which is why it is nicknamed ‘the city with the four names´. As most colonial buildings in the city center are painted white, the city is also called ‘the white city’.

Since colonial times, Sucre has looked like a typical Spanish city. The narrow streets in the city center are organized in blocks, as a typical feature of the Andalusian culture. This Spanish influence is also visible in the big houses and the many convents and churches in the city. Until the 18th century, Sucre was the judicial, religious and cultural center of the colony. In 1839, in the Republican era, when the city was declared the capital city of Bolivia, its name was changed in honor of Independence leader Antonio José de Sucre. In 1898 the seat of the Bolivian government was moved to La Paz.

Sucre has been declared Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO. The city attracts many foreign visitors every year thanks to its well-preserved center with buildings from the 18th and 19th centuries. Some of the many attractions of Sucre are the Casa de la Libertad (where the declaration of independence of Bolivia was signed on 6 August 1825), the La Recoleta museum (which has been used as a convent, military barracks, a prison and a museum) and many other museums. Another attraction is the Glorieta palace (which is now used as a military college).

Even the local cemetery has been able to maintain its harmonious appearance; a peaceful place to visit with its sumptuous tombs and mausoleums and its gardens with very old trees. Sites of interest in Sucre

La Recolecta viewpoint: The La Recoleta viewpoint is one of the seven hills on which the city of Sucre was founded. It offers a panoramic view of the neighborhoods in Sucre. At the viewpoint, you can visit the museum of the old La Recoleta convent and the children’s museum Tanga Tanga, which both have a singular architectonic design.

Metropolitan Cathedral: Entering through the Nicolás Ortiz de Sucre street, visitors can visit the rich heritage of the Metropolitan Cathedral, the chapel of the Virgin of Guadalupe and the Cathedral Museum, which were all built in colonial times. This street also houses the San Felipe Neri church, from the domes of which you can enjoy a marvelous sight of the historical area of the city. On the central square, we find the university museum of Natural History and the “Gutiérrez Valenzuela” museum with Republican objects and furniture.

Bolívar park: This park is a space in the open air with miniature replicas of important French monuments such as the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe and the Obelisk of Buenos Aires. The Bolívar park is full of vegetation and has become a must for national and foreign visitors and students.

Cemetery: One of the best options to know more about the life of the most important historical and political characters of the past who rest on the Cemetery is to hire one of the Cemetery children guides. They lead visitors along the different mausoleums and tombs, telling them about the accomplishments of the different historical characters.

La Glorieta castle: The castle is an admirable fusion of different architectonic styles from the end of the 19th century. La Glorieta castle is a unique building that used to be the property of Don Francisco de Argandoña and Doña Clotilde Urioste de Argandoña. On the outskirts of the city, it is a place no visitor should skip.

Cal Orck'o (Dinosaur Footprints): Use an afternoon in Sucre to visit the impressing dinosaur footprints at just six kilometers away from the city. Cal Orck’o is a limestone quarry where more than 500 footprints were found of around 150 dinosaur species.

Tarabuco: In the surroundings of Sucre, you can also visit the village of Tarabuco. The quality and beauty of the local textiles are renown all over the world. With their beautiful colors and designs, the local weavings are one of the principal attractions of this place. Every Sunday, the local people meet at the fair on the central square and the surrounding streets for a social and commercial exchange. The local people dressed in their colorful traditional outfits turn this Sunday fair in Tarabuco into a special event full of color and movement.

Potosí is the capital city of the department of Potosí. The city is located at 4,000 meters above sea level and is therefore the highest city in the world! It is located at the foot of the Cerro Potosí or Cerro Rico hill, an important silver mine.

Potosí was founded in 1546. Thanks to its enormous silver resources, the city quickly became very rich and one of the most important cities in the world at the time, with a population of over 200,000 inhabitants. There is an expression in Spanish, which was first used by Miguel de Cervantes, that says: ´vale un Potosí!´ (worth a Potosí), which is precisely a reference to this enormous wealth. Potosí is the place of origin of most Spanish silver in Europe. According to official records, 45,000 tons of pure silver were extracted from the Cerro Rico between 1556 and 1783. Tradition says that the Spanish conquistadores found such an incredible quantity of silver that they could have used it to build a pure silver bridge from Potosí to Europe. At the beginning of the 19th century, during the independence struggle, a large part of the wealth, also from the churches, was plundered or taken to Europe or other parts of the world under Spanish rule. At that time, the population decreased to less than 10,000 inhabitants. By the time of the independence in 1825, the mines had been virtually depleted.

Just like Sucre, Potosí is also part of the UNESCO list of Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The principal attractions of Potosí are the mines, the Casa de la Moneda museum, the Cathedral and the churches of San Benito and San Lorenzo.