Talk:Demographics of Bolivia

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This article contains material from the CIA World Factbook (2006 edition) which, as a U.S. government publication, is in the public domain.

[edit] Africans/Blacks

What about those of African/Black ancestry? --Dpr 03:34, 26 October 2005 (UTC)

Yes there are black Bolivians, but a small percentage are of African descent, due to a small historic need for slavery in colonial times. The Spanish often employed the highly numerous indigenous peoples and local mestizos to perform the mining and agricultural labor. Since the 1950's, Bolivian land owners hired Asian (mainly Chinese, Koreans and Okinawans) contract workers on their plantations and company farms, but at will after agreements between Bolivia and the worker's home countries (Taiwan and Japan included). There are other miniscule African descent groups in the southern cone of South America: The Afro-Chileans in Arica province, the mixed-race "mulatto" (Afro-Uruguauyn) ranchers in Uruguay and the last black Argentines that demographers believe had intermarried and assimilated into the Caucasian majority. + 63.3.14.1 23:24, 4 January 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Ethnic minorities in Bolivia

I added "German" and "Basque" a while ago to the small list, while the Basques are an unique ethnolinguistic group from northern Spain and southwest France ventured into the Upper Peru region (now Bolivia) sicne the 1600s represents a large number of white Bolivians in politics, business trade and agriculture. In the early 20th century, Bolivia promoted a large settlement program to recruit needed farmers and herders from Germany, Austria and Switzerland (some may spoke German). Back in the 1960's and 1970's, the worldwide media attacked Bolivia as a haven for former Nazi war criminals went there after World War II. In 1984, Klaus Barbie, the infamous general known as the "butcher of Lyon" was arrested and extradited, after investigators found him as a Bolivian army general and worked aside for the country's presidency. + 63.3.14.1 23:19, 4 January 2007 (UTC)

[edit] culture of bolivia

This article contained a lot on bolivia's culture, which doesn't fall under 'demographics' as I understand it. Except for the text "Bolivia has rich folklore" (I couldn't find a place for this), all of the following is now at Culture of Bolivia:

The cultural development of what is present-day Bolivia is divided into three distinct periods: pre-Columbian, colonial, and republican. Important archaeological ruins, gold and silver ornaments, stone monuments, ceramics, and weavings remain from several important pre-Columbian cultures. Major ruins include Tiwanaku, Samaipata, Incallajta, and Iskanwaya. The country abounds in other sites that are difficult to reach and hardly explored by archaeologists.

The Spanish brought their own tradition of religious art which, in the hands of local indigenous and mestizo builders and artisans, developed into a rich and distinctive style of architecture, painting, and sculpture known as "Mestizo Baroque." The colonial period produced not only the paintings of Perez de Holguin, Flores, Bitti, and others but also the works of skilled, but unknown, stonecutters, woodcarvers, goldsmiths, and silversmiths. An important body of native baroque religious music of the colonial period was recovered in recent years and has been performed internationally to wide acclaim since 1994. Bolivian artists of stature in the 20th century include, among others, Guzman de Rojas, Arturo Borda, Maria Luisa Pacheco, and Marina Nunez del Prado.

Bolivia has rich folklore. Its regional folk music is distinctive and varied. The devil dances at the annual carnival of Oruro are amongst the great folkloric events of South America, as is the lesser known carnival at Tarabuco.

--Eloil 05:47, 26 March 2007 (UTC)