He purchased the majority of the land from local tribal chiefs Achata and Consavana through a title registered in 1552 at the Imperial City of Potosí.

The democratically elected Prefect of Cochabamba, Manfred Reyes Villa, a former military aide to the Luis García Meza dictatorship of the 1980s, had allied himself with the leaders of Bolivia's eastern departments in a dispute with President Evo Morales over regional autonomy and other political issues.

The protestors blockaded the highways, bridges, and main roads, having days earlier set fire to the departmental seat of government, trying to force the resignation of Reyes Villa.

In July 2007, a monument erected by veterans of January's protest movement in honour of those killed and injured by government supporters was destroyed in the middle of the night, reigniting racial conflicts in the city.

In August 2008, a nationwide referendum was held, and while President Evo Morales had 67% support in Bolivia, the Prefect of Cochabamba, Manfred Reyes Villa, was not confirmed by the voters of the department.

The borders are formed mainly by rivers, like Ichilo to the east, Rio Grande to the south and Cotacajes to the west.

This region is marked by steep hills and mountains at the edge of the Central Andes descending into the flat floodplains of the Llanos de Moxos to the north of Cochabamba.

Further east of this region is a transition zone between the Tropical Wet-and-Dry forests of Santa Cruz and the Chapare, where Monsoonal climates predominate with an average annual precipitation between 1,800mm and 3,000mm.

Temperate climates year-round feature considerable diurnal temperature variation due to the high altitude.

This region of rocky valleys and moderately sized mountains features mosaics of high altitude forests and agricultural heartland.

To the southeast of the highlands of Cochabamba, are semi-arid valleys and mountains terminating at the banks of the Wapaymayu or Río Grande.

This area, famous for its cultural history, is marked by dry valleys and mountains, with agricultural lands bordering rivers throughout the region.

The current governor, Humberto Sánchez of the Movement for Socialism – Political Instrument for the Sovereignty of the Peoples (MAS–IPSP) was elected on 7 March 2021 and took office on 4 May.

The provinces with their capitals and population according to census 2012 are listed as follow: The municipalities in Cochabamba Department can also be grouped informally into large regions.

Therefore, many cervices i.e. transport, banking, telecommunication, gastronomy, are economically important in the corridor La Paz – Santa Cruz.