By 1534, Pizarro managed to overcome the Incan Empire (which was in present-day Bolivia, Peru, Chile and Ecuador) and claimed the territory for Spain.

[3] In 1545, Spain founded the city of Potosí, next to Cerro Rico which provided vast quantities of silver for the Spanish Empire and was worked by the local Indigenous people.

[3] In 1776, Upper Peru was governed by the newly created Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata with its capital in Buenos Aires.

[3] In the early 1780s, local indigenous people from the highlands took part in widespread uprisings, most notably the revolt of Rebellion of Túpac Amaru II.

Soon afterwards, troops led by Antonio José de Sucre entered Upper Peru and fought against royalist forces.

In the early 1950s, Antonio García Barón, a member of the Durruti Column and survivor of Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camp arrived to Bolivia where he moved to the Bolivian jungle and set up an anarchist community.

[4][9] In February 2013, President Morales nationalized the Spanish infrastructure company, Abertis which led to heightened diplomatic tension between Bolivia and Spain.

Soon afterwards, the Mexican embassy in La Paz opened its ambassador's residence to various former associates of Evo Morales, and this has led to protests from angry Bolivians who oppose the ex-president.

That same day, the Spanish government of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez reciprocated the move by expelling two Bolivian diplomats from Spain.