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Coroico is a town in Nor Yungas Province, in the La Paz Department of western
Bolivia Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...
.


History

Coroico Viejo (Old Coroico) was founded above the river Quri Wayq'u ( Quechua ''quri'' gold, ''wayq'u'' valley, hispanicized spellings ''Coriguayco'', ''Kori Huayco''). The town lived from mining gold, but the massive attacks by Native populations left the first Spanish colonial settlers in search of protection. Looking for a defendable position in the early 18th century, the settlers arrived at the current location of Coroico only to be chased into a cave by one of Mount Uchumachi's powerful lightning storms. The cave still exists below the church on the main plaza of Coroico. In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, Coroico survived a couple of Indian attacks - the biggest one was at the time of the Bolivian War of Independence. 5000 Aymaras attacked the town, which in those days only had 500 inhabitants. The town stood strong, forcing the Aymaras into retreat. Since then, Coroicans celebrate the Fiesta of the Virgin on October 20. Coroico became the capital of the North-Yungas in 1899 making Coroico the political and industrial center of the region, which produces wood products, fruits, and coca for the La Paz region of Bolivia. In 1958, the city was made the seat of the Territorial Prelature of Coroico, and elevated to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Coroico in 1983. From the mid-18th century, the lands in this region came under the control of a few powerful families, the . These families maintained control of this region until the mid-1950s, when they were overthrown by revolution. After the revolution, agrarian reforms were put in place, dividing the lands between the national government and the locals. Now, Coroico has a mostly Aymara and Mestizo population. The town has become a major market for the surrounding region. Staple products arrive from La Paz and the surrounding areas to be sold in the colorful markets and stores all days of the week. The region around Coroico has remained a traditional
coca Coca is any of the four cultivated plants in the family Erythroxylaceae, native to western South America. Coca is known worldwide for its psychoactive alkaloid, cocaine. Coca leaves contain cocaine which acts as a mild stimulant when chewed or ...
growing area and is the smallest of three areas of coca production in Bolivia. New highway: On a part of the road from La Paz to Coroico a new highway has been opened at the end of 2006, and the old
Yungas Road The Yungas Road, popularly known as the Death Road, is a long cycle route linking the city of La Paz, Bolivia, La Paz with the Yungas region of Bolivia. It was conceived in the 1930s by the Politics of Bolivia, Bolivian government to connect ...
is now used mainly for bikers. This Yungas Road is also called the "death road". The municipality of Coroico also hosts the Unidad Académica Campesina-Carmen Pampa (UAC-Carmen Pampa), a satellite campus of the
Catholic University Catholic higher education includes universities, colleges, and other institutions of higher education privately run by the Catholic Church, typically by religious institutes. Those tied to the Holy See are specifically called pontifical univers ...
of Bolivia. Founded in 1993, the UAC-Carmen Pampa offers B.S.-equivalent degree programs in agronomy, veterinary/animal science, nursing, education and ecotourism.Carmen Pampa Fund. n.d. History and Mission of the College. Available a
carmenpampafund.org
. Accessed 2010-08-17.


References


External links

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Weather in CoroicoThe world's most dangerous roadBiking the ROAD OF DEATHComprehensive Coroico travel guide
{{Authority control Populated places in La Paz Department (Bolivia) it:Coroico