'' Don'' Julio Bonifaz Pinedo (born 19 February 1942) is the ceremonial king of the Afro-Bolivian community of the Nor Yungas province, crowned in 1992, forty years after the death of the previous king, his grandfather Bonifacio Pinedo. His coronation took place during a Catholic ceremony in the chapel at the ''

hacienda A ''hacienda'' ( or ; or ) is an estate (or '' finca''), similar to a Roman '' latifundium'', in Spain and the former Spanish Empire. With origins in Andalusia, ''haciendas'' were variously plantations (perhaps including animals or orchards ...

'' of the Marquis de Pinedo. In between the death of his grandfather and his succession, his mother Aurora Pinedo served as princess regent. His position gained official recognition in 2007 when he was sworn in by the prefect of

La Paz La Paz, officially Nuestra Señora de La Paz (Aymara language, Aymara: Chuqi Yapu ), is the seat of government of the Bolivia, Plurinational State of Bolivia. With 755,732 residents as of 2024, La Paz is the List of Bolivian cities by populati ...

. Pinedo is

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

and works as a farmer and shop owner. In 2016, he went on an official trip to

Senegal Senegal, officially the Republic of Senegal, is the westernmost country in West Africa, situated on the Atlantic Ocean coastline. It borders Mauritania to Mauritania–Senegal border, the north, Mali to Mali–Senegal border, the east, Guinea t ...

, the

Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), also known as the DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neighbouring Republic of the Congo), is a country in Central Africa. By land area, it is t ...

, and

Uganda Uganda, officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the ...

. He is a farmer and runs a grocery store.https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20210310-bolivias-little-known-tribal-kingdom

Honours

Grand Master of the Royal Order of Merit of Prince Uchicho

References

External links

* , - ''as princess-regent'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Pinedo, Julio Afro-Bolivian people Living people 1953 births 20th-century monarchs 21st-century monarchs in Africa Afro-Bolivian royal house Bolivian farmers Bolivian Roman Catholics People from La Paz Department (Bolivia) Bolivian politicians Monarchs in South America Recipients of the Royal Order of Merit of Prince Uchicho Roman Catholic monarchs Sons of princes regnant