Sucre

Sucre is the constitutional capital of Bolivia though it has less government buildings than La Paz. It is known as the The City of Four Names with past names representing a timeframe in its history, Charcas, the indigenous name, La Plata, the honorable Spanish name, Chuquisaca the name for independence and finally its current name after Don Antonio José de Sucre. It is also referred to as the “La Ciudad Blanca” for all the white buildings.

Today it is the seat of the Catholic Church in Bolivia and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

My bus from Uyuni arrived in the middle of the night. Knowing my hotel was close to the main square of Sucre, I took a chance and got off in a large well lit square. Worst case I could find a taxi somewhere.

I got my bearings by finding the cathedral and following google maps on my phone. I walked a couple of blocks to my hotel, Mi Pueblo Samary and rested for the night.

The next day after breakfast and a tour of the hotel Samary, I explored the town center.

The House of Freedom

Built in 1621, Simón Bolívar wrote the Bolivian Constitution and founded the republic in this building.

Metropolitan Cathedral

Built in 1559 – 1712, this main cathedral today has a museum with artwork and jewelry on display.

Departmental Autonomous Government of Chuquisaca

Built in 1896, this was the first Palace of Government of Bolivia until the government moved to La Paz.

The square was clean and peaceful. There were a bunch of people dressed like zebras with stop and go signs. I first thought they were street performers until I realized they worked for the town to help pedestrians at the crosswalk. Get it, zebras? Black and white stripes? Crosswalk? Clever.

After the tour, I cabbed it to the airport, which was up the hill granting great views over the city.

The airport was tiny, meaning few lines, but the flight was delayed. When it arrived though, the turnaround time was impressive.

I boarded the 40 minute Boliviana de Aviacion flight and headed to Santa Cruz de la Sierra!