Sucre – Bolivia

December 16, 2024 SouthAmerica

Nestled into the middle of the Cordillera Real of southcentral Bolivia, at an elevation of 2,798 meters, this more temperate historic city has a cleaner and relaxed pace of life as compared to other places in the country. Sucre was founded in 1538 under the name of “Ciudad de la Plata de la Nueva Toledo.” Cerro Rico, the world’s largest silver deposit, was discovered by the Spanish a bit later in 1545. Sucre secured a place with warmer temperatures and more oxygen for the wealthy Spanish mine owners that controlled production from Cerro Rico in the high and inhospitable city of Potosi. This accumulation of wealth also became the epicenter for the country’s 1825 independence revolution against the crown of Spain. Some of the narrow streets lined by Spanish whitewashed buildings is reminiscent of Cusco, Peru, but without the Inca ruins. In 1839, the name was changed to honor the revolutionary Antonio José de Sucre. The city was the government center for the region until the capital was moved to La Paz in 1898. This is all recent people history, a deeper look into the region comes from considering the geology.

Geological setting

Sucre lies on a geomorphic older erosion surface, which is most pronounced on the plateau where the new airport is situated, which marks a stable period about 13-16 million years ago in the development of the Andes mountains. Subsequent mountain uplift triggered canyon incision with many major drainages subdividing these pediments. These large remnant patches of older surface forms of the mountains are most noticeable when flying across the region (or with oblique views in Google Earth). Some of the relief between these older erosion surfaces and the active canyon floors around Sucre locally reaches up to 382 meters, or about 10% of the total average 4,000-meters relief of the Altiplano. Dr. Lorcan Kennan, in his paper summarizing his dissertation work called “Large-scale geomorphology in the central Andes of Peru and Bolivia: relation to tectonic, magmatic, and climatic processes,” favored major climate change as the primary cause for erosion of these canyons. Likewise, Garner (1959, “Large-scale tectonic denudation and climatic morphogenesis in the Andes mountains of Ecuador”) attempted to integrate climate into the erosional surfaces. The uplift of the Andes remains a major subject of geological research using a variety of methods, with geomorphology being one specialized subset. Keep in mind that McLaughlin (1924 paper called “Geology and physiography of the Peruvian Cordillera, Departments of Junin and Lima”) described some of these geomorphic features of the Peruvian Andes, however, after this the understanding of plate tectonics developed and these erosional features have not been adequately integrated with the tectonic story. Kennan did not reference the Puna stage erosion surfaces of McLaughlin, nor the geomorphogical evolution laid out by Garner (1959). Some of this is provincialism by treating the Andes as being particular to any one country. Kennan does mark paleosurface remnants between 17 and 23 degrees south; those around Sucre lie at about 19 degrees south. A trip into Sucre places one into the Cordillera Oriental of the Andes, into major erosion paleo-topography, and a bedrock of deformed lower Paleozoic sedimentary formations, the combination leading not only to the story of mountain building, but also the exposure of Cretaceous dinosaur tracks near Sucre that date from a time when there was no Andes.

southamericatotheworld.com — Sucre Main Plaza

Arriving

Long drives from any direction on paved roads, or infrequent flights on the less than reliable Bolivian Airlines (BOA). We flew to Sucre on airline service Amaszonas, which upon leaving had a 8-hour delay (one week later the company went out of business). Flights are almost exclusively between La Paz and Santa Cruz. The drive from Potosi takes about three hours by car, longer by bus. The Sucre to Santa Cruz drive is ten hours.

Staying

For a top-notch hotel, secure a reservation at the Parador Santa María La Real on Bolivar Street. It was full during our visit, we stayed at the Hostel Samay, which is a bit further away from the plaza. Another option is the old building facing the plaza de amras, the Capital Plaza Hotel. Many other hostels are around, the ones mentioned here will probably be of interest for those seeking a high-end experience.

Dining

Likewise, recommended better dining at the Parador Santa María La Real hotel in both the Watanay gastrobar and Terraza 625 for evening open-air city light dining. Another good option is the restaurant in the Hotel La Posada along Audiencia street, one block north of the plaza. The Azafran Restaurant on 25 de Mayo street has an open terrace dining looking over the plaza de armas. Cafe Restaurant Florin on Bolivar Street has a wide variety of food and is recommended is their Pique a lo Macho dish plus try local beer made in Sucre by Sureña.

Doing

Independence museum- Casa de la Libertad on the south side of the plaza de armas, is a must-see collection of Bolivian history. The archaeological museum at Museo Colonial Charcas U. S. F. X. on Bolivar Street one block over from the plaza has an interesting collection. Along the west side of the plaza de armas, upstairs is the Museo del Tesoro, which ends in a jewelry store selling the national gemstone of “Bolivianita,” which is a cut combination of purple amethyst and yellow citrine quartz. Note that amethyst can be heat treated to change its color to citrine, although the vendors throughout the country will claim their cut quartz is natural.

Sucre is a great town just to explore on foot. Try the walk southward up the Dalence street for a good view of the city from the plaza at the Monasterio de La Recoleta. This perched plaza has a border with white arches, and narrows streets winding down from the southern corner, passing a few artisanal shops. Another short walk north from the center of town is down the streets of Arenales or Ravela to the Parque Simon Bolivar. Both hikes can be done easily combined in half a day.

The very impressive dinosaur tracks are at a developed park shared with an active quarry, at the Parque Cretácico. Expect a fifteen-minute taxi ride to the northeast of town, and a short steep hike up to the viewing area, which has an entrance fee, and provides some displays and dinosaur statues. This is the most easily accessible and best exposed dinosaur trackway in South America. These trace fossils are in subvertical dipping beds, they were tilted from major rock deformation that happened in forming the early Andes, from a tectonic event that pre-dates the erosion of and formation of the remnant paleotopography erosion surfaces around Sucre.

Sucre makes for an Andean town of history both for the geology of the Andes and for the history of Bolivia.