RELIGION IN COLONIAL BOLIVA

• Christianity is the largest religion in Bolivia.

• Majority of the Bolivians are Catholic Christians,
only a few are active. Christianity had its roots in
the Spanish conquest; priests accompanied the
first military expeditions. The church's
organization, personnel, and role in society were
all defined early in the colonial era. Pope Julius III
created the La Plata bishopric in 1552; this was
followed by those of La Paz and Santa Cruz early
in the seventeenth century.
• A plethora of religious orders – Franciscans,
Mercedarians, Dominicans, and Jesuits were
the most prominent – joined diocesan priests
in the colonial ministry. The clergy were
largely of European origin. The few mestizos
who joined the ranks were usually admitted as
lay brothers rather than priests.
• The patronato real (an agreement between the
Catholic Church and the Spanish crown) gave the
Spanish throne and, by extension, the colonial
authorities significant powers in church affairs.
Appointments of clergy and bishops normally
required the approval of civil authorities. The
relationship between church and state was
mutual and intimate; each institution had great
influence on the other's affairs. In a society where
separation from the religious ministrations of the
church was unthinkable, the church had great
moral influence.
• In addition, the colonial church was an
extremely wealthy institution. Religious
organizations not only owned extensive tracts
of land but also served as quasi-official
moneylenders to the landed elite and high-
ranking officeholders. By the end of the
colonial era, a combination of money lending
and shrewd real estate investments had made
the church the dominant financial power in
Bolivia.
RELIGIONS
BESIDES
CATHOLICISM
Protestantism and the other Christians

• Bolivia has an active

Protestant minority of various
groups, especially Evangelical
Methodists. Other
denominations represented in
Bolivia include Mennonites
and Anglicanism. Since the
early 1950s there are
Mennonites in Bolivia, mainly
in Santa Cruz Department. In
the 1980s Seventh-day
Adventists and various
Pentecostal denominations
gained increasing adherents.
 Buddhism and Hinduism
• Bolivia also has a small
Buddhist community which
has not reported any
discrimination. In 1988 the
government stated that
numerous religious groups
were operating in Bolivia
illegally, but its attempt to
expel some foreign members
of the Hare Krishna movement
in 1986 was overturned by the
Supreme Court of Justice. Now
Hare Krishna is legally
established in Bolivia as an
educational institution.
 Bahá'í Faith
• The Bahá'í Faith in Bolivia begins with
references to the country in Bahá'í
literature as early as 1916. The first
Bahá'í to arrive in Bolivia was in 1940
through the arrival of coordinated
pioneers, people who chose to move
for the growth of the religion, from
the United States. That same year the
first Bolivian joined the religion. The
first Bahá'í Local Spiritual Assembly,
the local administrative unit of the
religion, was elected in La Paz in
1945. Since 1956 indigenous people
have joined the religion, and it has
sread widely among them. The
community elected an independent
National Spiritual Assembly in 1961.
By 1963 there were hundreds of local
assemblies. The Bahá'í Faith is
currently the largest international
religious minority in Bolivia
 Judaism
• The Jewish population
is about 500 members,
making it one of the
smallest Jewish
communities in South
America.