La Paz Declares Independence from Spain: Bolivia's Capital Rebels
Twenty-seven men signed the proclamation that made Pedro Domingo Murillo's Junta Tuitiva the first independent government in Spanish America. July 16, 1809. The revolution lasted exactly four months before Spanish forces recaptured La Paz and executed Murillo in the city's main plaza. But thirteen other Latin American independence movements were already spreading—Venezuela, Argentina, Chile—each citing La Paz's declaration as proof it could be done. Murillo's last words before hanging: "I am but a spark, but the fire I've lit will never be extinguished." First doesn't always mean successful.
July 16, 1809
217 years ago
Key Figures & Places
Bolivia
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La Paz
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Spanish Crown
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Pedro Domingo Murillo
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King of Spain
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La Paz revolution
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La Paz
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Bolivia
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Monarchy of Spain
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La Paz revolution
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Pedro Domingo Murillo
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Alto Perú
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Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata
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South America
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Independence
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Virgen del Carmen
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Chile
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Hispanic America
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