Historedia
AmericasEvent

La Paz declares independence and forms the Junta Tuitiva, 16 July 1809

When
1809–1810
Where
Intendancy of La Paz, Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata; Vicinity of La Paz; Plaza de los Españoles
Episodes
3

On 16 July 1809, Pedro Domingo Murillo led a revolution in La Paz, asserting sovereignty for the people of Upper Peru. The event occurred in the city of La Paz, part of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata. The resulting governing body, known as the Junta Tuitiva, was quickly overwhelmed by royalist forces in late 1809, leading to Murillo's execution in January 1810.

Episodes

  1. 16 July 1809 · Intendancy of La Paz, Viceroyalty of the Río de la PlataDeclaration of Independence in La Paz

    Pedro Domingo Murillo declared independence in La Paz on 16 July 1809, forming the Junta Tuitiva.

  2. Late October 1809 · Vicinity of La PazSuppression of the Junta Tuitiva

    Royalist forces under Goyeneche overwhelmed the junta in late October 1809.

  3. 29 January 1810 · Plaza de los EspañolesExecution of Pedro Domingo Murillo

    Murillo was hanged in La Paz on 29 January 1810.

Background and detail

Background. La Paz experienced political upheaval in 1809. On 16 July, Pedro Domingo Murillo ignited a revolution for independence, famously stating that the Bolivian revolution was igniting a lamp that nobody would be able to extinguish. One supplied passage describes this as marking the beginning of the Spanish American Wars of Independence, though another source dates the first outbreak to 25 May 1809 in Sucre, so that characterization is contested.

Formation and Suppression. The Junta Tuitiva was formed in La Paz. When Goyeneche reached the vicinity of La Paz in late October 1809, the junta attempted limited resistance but was quickly overwhelmed. Murillo was hanged at the Plaza de los Españoles several months later, on 29 January 1810, marking the end of the initial junta's control.

People involved

Sources

  1. La Paz revolution Wikipedia, revision of 2026-08-31
  2. La Paz Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-13
  3. Bolivian War of Independence Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-29
  4. Pedro Domingo Murillo Wikipedia, revision of 2026-07-16

Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.