Bolivian Americans

Bolivian Americans are one of the smallest Hispanic groups in the United States: the third-smallest, with a population of 99,210, as of the 2010 census. Nearly half of the 2010 population, 38 percent of the total, live in the Washington, D.C., area. Much of the rest are concentrated in Los Angeles, California; Miami, Florida, and its outskirts, Providence, Rhode Island; and Queens, New York. Texas, New Jersey, Illinois, New York, and Massachusetts all have small Bolivian American populations as well.

The 20 cities and towns with the highest percentage of Bolivian Americans are all located in Virginia, near Washington: West Falls Church (7.62 percent), Annandale (6.68 percent), Seven Corners (6.49 percent), Lake Barcroft (4.94 percent), North Springfield (4.87 percent), Bailey's Crossroads (4.45 percent), Lincolnia (4.29 percent), Kings Park (3.95 percent), Pimmit Hills (3.2 percent), Woodburn (2.71 percent), Burke (2.28 percent), Ravensworth (2.11 percent), Idyl-wood (2.09 percent), King Park West (2.05 percent), Dulles Town Center (2.04 percent), Merrifield (2.04 percent), Arlington (2.03 percent), and Newington (2.01 percent).

Part of the Inca Empire before European colonization, Bolivia is a landlocked central South American country. Its ethnic diversity leads to many distinct groups of Bolivians, and of Bolivian Americans: those of indigenous descent, those of European descent (including Spanish, German, and Croatian), Afro Bolivians, and Japanese Bolivians. While Spanish is the most common language in Bolivia, about 30 percent of the country speak Quechua and 25 percent speak [Page 380]Aymara, languages indigenous to the Andes region. (Smaller indigenous groups include the Guarani, Moxos, Tacanas, Panos, Aruacos, and others.)

About 60 percent of the country are indigenous, and there is an additional mestizo population (a mix of indigenous and European descent) that does not self-identify as indigenous. (Most of the population identify as both indigenous and mestizo.) Afro Bolivians are the descendants of African slaves brought to the country by the ruling Spanish conquistadors during the colonial period. The country recognizes 37 official languages. Many of the Japanese Bolivians are descended from Japanese Okinawans who were relocated to Bolivia by the U.S. military during World War II.