2021-10-14 THURSDAY 7 PM

Postal history of Bolivia

Bolivia is a landlocked nation in central South America. It has a varied geography with a highland plateau and mountains in the west, and a lowland basin including a rain forest in the east. Bolivia was formerly known as Upper Peru and became an independent republic on 6 August 1825. It has produced its own postage stamps since 1867.

Up to 1892 postal routes were composed mainly of Mule-Donkey-Alpaca trains, riders on horseback, runners, and river boats. The goal was to reach a coastal port where ocean transportation would take passengers, cargo and mail to worldwide destinations.

Starting in 1892 the main postal route was the Oruro-Antofagasta railway. Internal postal routes remained poor until the introduction of airmail in the mid 1920's. Major inter city auto / truck roads did not start to be developed until the 1930's.

Some of the covers in this presentation

• 1885 Cochabamba to Montevideo

• 1896 Cochabamba to Budapest

• 1903 Cochabamba to Hamburg

• 1922 La Paz to Brockville

• 1924 Potosi to Paris

• 1939 Trinidad to Hamburg