Bolivia Guide
Sucre, Cochabamba and the central valleys
East of the Altiplano, the Andes march gradually down towards the eastern lowlands in a series of rugged north– south mountain ranges, scarred with long narrow valleys formed by rivers draining to the east. Blessed with rich alluvial soils, and midway in climate and altitude between the cold of the Altiplano and the tropical heat of the lowlands, these central valleys have historically been among the most fertile and habitable areas in Bolivia. The Incas recognized this, and in the fifteenth century established substantial agricultural colonies in the region, which formed the easternmost frontier of their empire – to this day the majority of the rural population still speak Quechua, the language the Incas introduced. The Spanish were attracted by the same qualities, and added wheat to the maize crops that flourished on the valley floors, which they developed as the main source of food for the mining centres of the Altiplano. The two main cities they founded, Sucre and Cochabamba, remain the most important in the region, though origins aside they could not be more different in character.