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White Bolivians

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White Bolivians
Bolivianos blancos (Spanish)
Total population
White ancestry predominates
c. 1,700,000[1]
5–15% of the Bolivian population.
Regions with significant populations
Mainly in Santa Cruz, La Paz, Cochabamba and to a lesser extent the rest of the Media Luna Region.
Languages
Bolivian Spanish
German (Plautdietsch, Standard German)
Bolivian Sign Language
Religion
Roman Catholicism, Anabaptism, Evangelicalism, Judaism, Irreligion[citation needed]
Related ethnic groups
Spaniards • Europeans

White Bolivians (Spanish: Bolivianos blancos), also known as Caucasian Bolivians (Spanish: Bolivianos caucásicos), are Bolivians of total or predominantly European or West Asian ancestry (formerly called criollos or castizos in the viceregal era), most notably from Spain, and to a lesser extent, Germany, Italy and Croatia.[2]

Bolivian people of European ancestry mostly descend from people who arrived over the centuries from Spain, beginning five hundred years ago.[3]

European Bolivians are a minority ethnic group in Bolivia, accounting for 5% of the country's population, according to the CIA World Factbook's self-perception survey. The majority of white Bolivians are the descendants of Criollos of Spanish descent as well as the Europeans from Germany, Italy, and Croatia. White Bolivians mainly live in the largest cities and major towns in Bolivia like Santa Cruz and La Paz.[4] An additional 68% of the population is mestizo, having mixed European (predominantly Spaniard) and indigenous ancestry.[5]

According to the "ethnic composition of the American continent", Castizos, White Mestizos and Caucasian Bolivians represent 15% of the total population.[1]

History

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Compared to the Indigenous population, considerably fewer white and mestizo Bolivians live in poverty.[6]

Conceptions of racial boundaries in Bolivia may be fluid and perceptions of race may be tied to socioeconomic status, with the possibility of a person achieving "whitening" via economic advancement. Differences in language, educational status, and employment status may also reinforce perceptions of what constitutes a person as "white", "mestizo", or "Indigenous".[6]

Spaniards arrived in the country looking for gold and riches in the 1500s.[7]

Francisco Pizarro was the first European to control Bolivia.[8]

European immigration in Bolivia

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Bolivia had a total of 5 European migratory waves, the first during the colonial period, the second during the republican period, the third during the industrial boom, the fourth during the Second World War and the fifth since the 1950s.[9][10][11]

The most important migratory waves were the third and fourth, especially since 1900 with the war refugees.[12]

Numbers

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Census data

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In the official census in 1900, people who self-identified as "Blanco" (white) composed 12.72% or 231,088 of the total population. This was the last time data on race was collected. There were 529 Italians, 420 Spaniards, 295 Germans, 279 French, 177 Austrians, 141 English and 23 Belgians living in Bolivia.[13]

European descendants

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The main descendants of Europeans in Bolivia are Germans with 260,000 descendants in 2002 to about 430,000 descendants today.[14] They are followed by Italians with more than 15,600 descendants[15] and Croatians with more than 8,000.[16] There are also some 12,000 Portuguese descendants.[17]

Others

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The Greeks and their descendants are about 4100,[18] the other European descendants not counting immigrants (such as Americans,[19] British[20] and Jews[21]) make about 10,000.

The descendants of Arabs number about 70,000 and form more than 2,500 families with 600 different surnames.[22][23]

Surveys

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According to Universia in 2013, whites in Bolivia represent 22%, as well as the indigenous population.[24]

According to the World statesmen in 2001, white Bolivians represent 10% of the total and of these 3% correspond to German descendants.[25]

According to a 2014 survey by Ipsos, 3 percent of people questioned said they were white.[26]

Geographic distribution

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Geographically, the white and mixed-race populations of Bolivia tend to be centered in the country's eastern lowlands and Tarija. The white and mixed-race Bolivians in this region are relatively affluent compared to poorer, predominantly Indigenous regions of Bolivia.[6] Meanwhile, in the highland and valley regions, whites disproportionately form the upper and upper-middle classes especially in the cities of La Paz, Cochabamba, and Sucre.[27]

Census data

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According to the 1900 official Bolivian census, a person who self-identified as “Blanca” white was a descendant of a foreigner, principally a Spaniard. This was the last census to ask a more detailed question about ethnic background.[28] Overall there are Italians, Spanish, Germans and French. In total, they represented 12.7 percent of the total population with large populations in Cochabamba (60,605) and Santa Cruz de la Sierra (59,470) representing 36.8 percent combined.[29]

Departments Men Women Total[30] %
Beni 2,981 2,132 5,113 15.88
Chuquisaca 15,413 16,354 31,767 15.53
Cochabamba 28,938 31,667 60,605 18.46
La Paz 18,340 17,915 36,255 8.13
Oruro 3,996 3,778 7,774 9.03
National territory 202 5 207 0.64
Potosí 11,229 10,484 21,713 6.66
Santa Cruz 29,672 29,798 59,470 28.37
Tarija 4,368 3,816 8,184 7.95
Bolivia Republic of Bolivia 115,139 115,949 231,088 12.72
Mennonite boy in Santa Cruz Department

Mennonites

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Main article: Mennonites in Bolivia

In 1995, there were a total of 25 Mennonite colonies in Bolivia with a total population of 28,567. The most populous ones were Riva Palacios (5,488), Swift Current (2,602), Nueva Esperanza (2,455), Valle Esperanza (2,214) and Santa Rita (1,748).[31] In 2002 there were 40 Mennonite colonies with a population of about 38,000 people. An outreach of Conservative Mennonites can be found at La Estrella, with others in progress.

The total population was estimated at 60,000 by Lisa Wiltse in 2010.[32][33] In 2012 there were 23,818 church members in congregations of Russian Mennonites, indicating a total population of about 70,000. Another 1,170 Mennonites were in Spanish-speaking congregations.[34] The number of colonies was 57 in 2011. In the Santa Cruz Department there is an important colony (70.000 inhabitants) of German-speaking Mennonites.[35]

Mennonites in Bolivia currently number an estimated 150,000[36] located on some 900,000 hectares of land.[37]

Culture

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The European cultural contribution is reflected throughout the country, in language, religion, music, architecture, customs (and values), gastronomy and clothing. Each department integrated these elements in a different way, combining them with the indigenous and mestizo heritage of each region.

Pollera

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The clothing of the "Bolivian chola", the pollera, is an amalgam of elements initially imposed on the indigenous people of the altiplano[38] by the colonial system that limited the use of clothing identified as belonging to pre-Hispanic American cultures, and elements and materials redefined through time and subsequent cultural processes.[39] A system of categorization of clothing assigned by region and caste was imposed, which at that time was popular in the Iberian Peninsula, "la moda chula", with ankle-length skirts, Sevillian mantillas and high-heeled half-ankle boots.[40]

Caporales

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Main article: Caporales
Caporales dancers in modernity from Bolivia. (2016)

Caporales is a dance popular in the Andean region of Bolivia. It gained popularity in 1969 by the Estrada Pacheco brothers, inspired by the character of the 'Caporal' or "overseer" of which, historically black slaves, usually mixed race, wore boots and held a whip, the dance originates from the region of the Yungas in Bolivia. The dance has European elements especially with the costumes.[41]

Valleys

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The culture of the Tarija valley is characterized by Spanish, German, Guacho, and indigenous contributions, among which the Guarani and Quechua are the most important.[42][43]

Sucre was an important political and cultural center during the colonial period, which gave rise to a fashion influenced by the Spanish nobility, adapted to the social context. The garment reflected the power of social status, the closeness to the European and was a symbol of luxury. In addition to the dress, fans, parasols, scarves and brooches were used, and it was also common to find them adorned with precious stones.[44][45]

Plains

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In the Amazon, there is more indigenous contribution, however, due to the Franciscan and Jesuit missions, most of the Amazonian culture has its origin in Europe, or from the Spanish colonizers.[46]

In Santa Cruz, the culture has notable European contributions, mainly Spanish, mixed with the Chiquitano, Guarani and other Amazonian ethnic groups.[47] The music is characterized by its diversity of rhythms and the use of the guitar, accompanied by the bass drum, violin and harp, especially in the Chiquitania, where the Jesuits introduced these instruments in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.[48]

The dance of the macheteros, one of the best known dances of Beni, also has its origins in the colony, since it symbolizes the resurrection of Christ.

The culture of Pando, on the other hand, is marked by the Spanish influence, but above all by the boom of the rubber band, where indigenous groups from Beni, businessmen from Santa Cruz and Portuguese rubber tappers were involved.[49]

Notable White Bolivians

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See also

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References and footnotes

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  1. ^ a b "Composición Étnica de las Tres Áreas Culturales del Continente Americano al Comienzo del Siglo XXI". UAEMEX (in Spanish). 2005. Retrieved 13 February 2025.
  2. ^ "CELADE - Division de Poblacion". www.eclac.cl. Archived from the original on 2008-05-14. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
  3. ^ "Bolivia is Burning". The Harvard Crimson. Retrieved 2019-06-01.
  4. ^ Ethnic Groups Of Bolivia
  5. ^ "The World Factbook: Bolivia". CIA. Retrieved 14 February 2017.
  6. ^ a b c "Bolivia's Regional Elections 2010" (PDF). Political Studies Association. Retrieved 2019-06-01.
  7. ^ Morales, Waltraud Q. (14 May 2014). A Brief History of Bolivia. Infobase. p. 21. ISBN 978-1-4381-0820-9.
  8. ^ Woolf, Alex (21 September 2017). The History of the World. Arcturus. ISBN 978-1-78888-021-3.
  9. ^ Saignes, Thierry (1988), Instituto Indigenista Interamericano; Centre d’Études Mexicaines et Centraméricaines (eds.), "Políticas étnicas en la Bolivia colonial siglos XVI-XIX", Indianidad, etnocidio e indigenismo en América latina, Etnohistoria (in Spanish), Mexico: Centro de estudios mexicanos y centroamericanos, pp. 41–77, ISBN 979-10-365-4018-9, retrieved 2025-06-20
  10. ^ García Jordán, Pilar (2001), "4. La ocupación de los Orientes bolivianos, 1825-1880", Cruz y arado, fusiles y discursos : La construcción de los Orientes en Perú y Bolivia, 1820-1940, Travaux de l'IFEA (in Spanish), Lima: Institut français d’études andines, pp. 248–296, ISBN 978-2-8218-4588-6, retrieved 2025-06-20
  11. ^ "Un vitral empolvado: historia y procesos de la migración en el oriente boliviano | Universidad del Rosario". urosario.edu.co (in Spanish). 2019-03-08. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
  12. ^ "Holocaust Encyclopedia". encyclopedia.ushmm.org. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
  13. ^ "Censo National De La Poblacion de la Republica 1900 "Segunda parte"" (PDF). 1900. pp. 25–32. Retrieved September 5, 2020.
  14. ^ PeopleGroups.org. "PeopleGroups.org - Germans of Bolivia". peoplegroups.org. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
  15. ^ Carducci, Luigi Guarnieri Calò. "La emigración italiana en Bolivia desde la colonia hasta el siglo XX. Relaciones políticas, económicas, culturales". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  16. ^ "Volviendo a casa". Correo del Sur. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
  17. ^ Project, Joshua. "Latin American Branco in Bolivia". joshuaproject.net. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
  18. ^ Project, Joshua. "Greek in Bolivia". joshuaproject.net. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
  19. ^ Project, Joshua. "Americans, U.S. in Bolivia". joshuaproject.net. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
  20. ^ Project, Joshua. "British in Bolivia". joshuaproject.net. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
  21. ^ Project, Joshua. "Jewish, Spanish-speaking in Bolivia". joshuaproject.net. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
  22. ^ Arabia, Latin (2021-05-04). "The Arab Community in Bolivia". Latin Arabia. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
  23. ^ Deber, El. "Un libro registra la historia de la migración árabe a Bolivia | El Deber". eldeber.com.bo (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-06-20.
  24. ^ universia.es. "POBLACION-DE-BOLIVIA". internacional.universia.net (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2015-02-19. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
  25. ^ "Bolivia". www.worldstatesmen.org. Archived from the original on 2018-01-04. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
  26. ^ "El 52% de la población se identifica como mestiza". El Día [es] (in Spanish). 27 January 2014. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
  27. ^ "White premiums in Bolivia".
  28. ^ "Cepal Recomienda No Usar Categorías Como Mestizo En Identificación De Pueblos". Instituto Nacional de Estadística (in Spanish). 18 April 2022. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
  29. ^ "Censo general de la población de la Republica de Bolivia 1900" (PDF) (in Spanish). p. 25. Retrieved September 5, 2020.
  30. ^ "Censo general de la población de la Republica de Bolivia 1900" (PDF) (in Spanish). p. 32. Retrieved September 5, 2020.
  31. ^ Schroeder, William; Huebert, Helmut (1996). Mennonite historical atlas. Kindred Productions. pp. 144–145. ISBN 978-0-920643-05-1. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
  32. ^ Wiltse, Lisa (2010). "The Mennonites of Manitoba, Bolivia". Burn. Retrieved 16 May 2019.
  33. ^ "Plautdietsch". Ethnologue. Retrieved 2019-05-19.
  34. ^ "Bolivia". Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
  35. ^ "Bolivian Reforms Raise Anxiety on Mennonite Frontier". The New York Times. 21 December 2006. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
  36. ^ Tamayo, Iván Paredes (2023-04-03). "Expansion of Mennonite farmland in Bolivia encroaches on Indigenous land". Mongabay Environmental News. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
  37. ^ Maurice, Jerome (2023-06-29). "Visita a las colonias menonitas en Santa Cruz". La Villa Chiquitana. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
  38. ^ Sharpe, Susanna (2017-08-28). "Making Beauty: The Wearing of Polleras in the Andean Altiplano". Portal magazine. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
  39. ^ "Polleras: All Dressed Up - Aracari Travel". 2018-12-13. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
  40. ^ García Recoaro, Nicolás (March 2014). "Las cholas y su mundo de polleras". Cuadernos del Centro de Estudios en Diseño y Comunicación. Ensayos (47): 181–186. ISSN 1853-3523.
  41. ^ "Danzas autóctonas de Bolivia". 2012-02-22. Archived from the original on 2012-02-22. Retrieved 2021-07-28.
  42. ^ "Trascendental hermanamiento gaucho con Tarija". www.eltribuno.com. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
  43. ^ "Vacaflores: "Chunchos, un baile andino que se extendió en Tarija"". El País Tarija (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-06-20.
  44. ^ "Damas antiguas". Correo del Sur. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
  45. ^ "La moda en la antigua Sucre". Correo del Sur. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
  46. ^ "Bolivia - Culture, Traditions, Cuisine | Britannica". www.britannica.com. 2025-06-19. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
  47. ^ "Departamento de Santa Cruz". Embajada de Bolivia en Canadá. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
  48. ^ Moreno, Alcides Parejas. "The Flowering of Culture in Santa Cruz | ReVista". revista.drclas.harvard.edu. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
  49. ^ Killeen, Timothy J. (2024-11-08). "The rubber boom and its legacy in Brazil, Peru, Bolivia and Colombia". Mongabay Environmental News. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
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