ABSTRACT
Bordered by Argentina, and Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, and Peru, the eastern part of Bolivia has low, hot, fertile land watered by many rivers. In the central part of the eastern slope of the Andes, there is a high plateau region that includes part of the Gran Chaco. The Bolivian highlands were the location of the advanced Tiahuanaco culture, circa 7th–11th centuries. The Aymara Indians followed and were conquered in the 15th century by the Inca Indians. The Incas were subsequently conquered in the 1530s by Hernando Pizarro, the half-brother to Francisco Pizarro who conquered Peru. Bolivia has had a cartographical history quite unlike that of any of the other west coast republics of South America. The “Topographic Desk of the Southeast” was combined with the “Major General Topographic Cabinet of the State” in 1936 to form the Instituto Geográfico Militar.
