Afro-Bolivians

The Afro-Bolivians are recognized as one of the constituent ethnic groups of Bolivia by the country's government, and are ceremonially led by a king who traces his descent back to a line of monarchs that reigned in Africa during the medieval period.

[5] This was due to the fact that they had to be bought from slave ports in the coastal region of the Spanish empire and had to trek from cities like Cartagena, Montevideo, and Buenos Aires to Bolivia.

It gained popularity in 1969 by the Estrada Pacheco brothers, inspired by the character of the 'Caporal' or "overseer" of which, historically black slaves, usually mixed race, wore boots and held a whip, the dance originates from the region of the Yungas in Bolivia.

[18] The founding monarch, Uchicho, was allegedly of Kongo and Senegalese origin, and was brought to the Hacienda of the Marquis de Pinedo, in the area of Los Yungas in what is now La Paz Department.

Other slaves allegedly recognized him as a man of regal background (a prince from the ancient Kingdom of Kongo[19]) when seeing his torso exposed with royal tribal marks only held by royalty; he was later crowned in 1823.

[21] Afro-Bolivians due to isolation from much of Bolivia speak a dialect of Bolivian Spanish, akin to African-American Vernacular English in the United States.

The amendments also generally extended to indigenous peoples and officially recognized Afro-Bolivians as a minority group in Bolivia despite them not being included in the national census three years later.

The Vice Ministry for Decolonization also works to dismantle colorism and racism influenced by European colonization while also promoting the philosophy of "intercultural-ity" in which citizens of the nation recognize every ethnic groups' traditions and cultural practices as contributions to society.

Map of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade . Slaves from Bolivia were often bought from port cities of the Spanish colonies.
The National Mint where mills would press silver ingots, extracted by slave labor, to make coins.
The mine of Cerro Rico where both Indigenous and African slave labor was used to mine for precious metals.
A coca plantation in the Yungas region of Bolivia in 1924 where historically cultivation had been done using slave labor.
An Afro-Bolivian child from Coroico .
MtDNA haplogroups and continental ancestry based on AIMs . Samples are from Yungas (left) and Tocaña (right).
Black Bolivian saya group called The Tigers of Africa in a Celebration of the Afro descendants in La Paz (2018).
An example of a traditional Afro-Bolivian saya mask .
An Afro-Bolivian girl in traditional clothing dancing saya in Coroico.
Caporales dancers in modernity from Bolivia. (2016)
An example of a Morenada costume from Bolivia showcased at the International Slavery Museum .
Julio I is the current king of the Afro-Bolivian Royal House .
A poster of an Afroyunguera (Afro-Bolivians from Las Yungas ) Cultural Program focusing on preserving cultural rhythms and expressions.
Angélica Larrea , wife of King Julio Pinedo , and Queen of the Afro-Bolivian community [ 27 ] in 2012.
Leonel Morales , football player.