Bolivia Archives and Libraries


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Archives

National Archives and Library of Bolivia (Archivo y Biblioteca Nacionales de Bolivia)
Dalence #4
Sucre, Bolivia
Telephone: 6452246
Email: abnb@entelnet.bo
Website

The library and archive, established in 1836, holds many important documents dating from the time of “Audiencia de Charcas” colonial high court. The oldest document in the collection is a royal provision dating from 1546. Work is currently underway to digitize these important colonial records. The library holds over 1000 titles printed between 1530 and 1804 including works on theology, philosophy and other historical manuscripts. It also holds the most complete collection of Bolivian newspapers published between 1825 – 1907.

Endangered Archives: Digitisation of Bolivian indigenous communities records on ayllu structure, tax and land tenure


Archive of the City of Peace (Archivo de la Ciudad de la Paz)
Avenida 6 de Agosto
2080 La Paz, Dept. of La Paz, Bolivia
Telephone: 591 2 2441416
Email: fundacion.historia@mapfre.com
Website

In general, the archives of the city of La Paz contain material on the Aymara communities of the current department of La Paz, which corresponded to the intendancy of the same name during the colonial period. There are some references to other ethnic groups, but the vast majority of the ethnographic information that is found is about the Aymara people. Therefore, in this text, the word "communities" will refer to Aymara and "indigenous" Aymara communities.

Franciscan Archive of Tarija (Archivo Franciscano de Tarija)
Franciscan Convent of Tarija
Calle Colón, 661, esq. Ingavi Tarija, Bolivia
Telephone: 591 4 6644909
Email: ced@franciscanosdetarija.com

The Archive keeps documents produced by the Franciscan missions during the colonial and republican times, of their evangelizing incursions in the lands of the Mataco and Guarani peoples. Among the linguistic documents of the colonial era there are dictionaries and catechisms in the Guaraní and Mataco language, and among the documents of the Republican era it keeps Guarani dictionaries and grammars, as well as works of catechesis and preaching and compilations of tales of the Guaraní peoples, noctenes and tuffs.

Museum of History and Historical Archive of Santa Cruz de la Sierra (Museo de Historia y Archivo Histórico of Universidad Autónoma Gabriel René Moreno)
Calle Junín, 151 between Libertad and Spain
Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia
Telephone: 00591 - 3 - 336 5533
Email: historia@uagrm.edu.bo
Website

In 1999 the historical archive with colonial documents dating from 1614 to 1910 was opened to the public. The archive has books and manuscripts with the bibliographic collection of Adrián Melgar and Montaño from the 17th century; XVII and XIX. Documents of the Prefectural Fund from 1825 - 1910 are also found.

Archive of the Archbishopric of Cochabamba (Archivo del Arzobispado de Cochabamba)
Calle Calama, 169
Cochabamba, Bolivia
Telephone: 591 4 4256563/591 4 4256562/591 4 4259209
Email: fundacion.historia@mapfre.com
Website

There are in the file the duplicates of the baptismal, marital and death certificates, and the original items of confirmations, which irregularly cover most of the parishes of the department and are accessible through the index (1919 to the present). The other books of sacraments are kept in the same parishes of the provinces. The file also has a file of modification of marriage items that contains 67 records (1876-1946); three bundles of rectifications of baptisms with 425 records (1910-1935); and six bundles of lawsuits for nullity of marriage and divorce with 201 files (1851-1929).

Libraries

National Archives and Library of Bolivia (Archivo y Biblioteca Nacionales de Bolivia)
Dalence #4
Sucre
Telephone: 591 6 452246
Email: abnb@entelnet.bo
Website


Bicentennial Library of Bolivia (Librería de la Biblioteca del Bicentenario de Bolivia)
C. Belisario Salinas #296
Capitán Ravelo #2445
La Paz
Telephone: 591 2 2142000 Ext 2423
Email: cis.bolivia@gmail.com
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Museums

Museum of History and Historical Archive of Santa Cruz de la Sierra (Museo de Historia y Archivo Histórico of Universidad Autónoma Gabriel René Moreno)
Calle Junín, 151 between Libertad and Spain
Santa Cruz de la Sierra
Telephone: 591 3 3365533
Email: historia@uagrm.edu.bo
Website

The History Museum offers the public a variety of cultural choices. In its rooms on the top floor have permanent exhibitions, such as archaeological exhibitions, library and archive; while on the ground floor there are temporary exhibitions of photographs, seminars, plays, university exhibitions, conferences and workshops.

Record Offices

Departmental and Regional Offices of the Civil Registry
National Directorate of Civil Registry
Av. 6 de Agosto esq. Cordero Nº 2798 - Sucre, Bolivia
Tel.: 2433984 - 2430106
Website