Ministry of Cultures (Bolivia)
Ministry of Cultures, Decolonization, and Depatriarchalization (Spanish: Ministerio de Culturas, Descolonización, y Despatriarcalización) is a Bolivian government ministry. It protects and promotes Bolivia’s indigenous cultures and artistic expressions, supports the tourism sector, and leads efforts for decolonization and depatriarchalization. The ministry is based in La Paz at Casa Grande del Pueblo. The current minister is Sabina Orellana. It oversees two sub‑ministries: the Vice Ministry of Decolonization and Depatriarchalization and the Vice Ministry of Interculturality.
History in brief:
- 1975: The Bolivian Institute of Culture (IBC) is created by President Hugo Banzer to preserve culture; it later becomes the Secretariat of Culture under the Ministry of Education and Cultures.
- 1997–2001: The secretariat is elevated to a vice ministry.
- 2006: Under President Evo Morales, it becomes the Vice Ministry of Cultural Development.
- 7 February 2009: Supreme Decree N° 29894 creates the Ministry of Cultures, headed by Pablo Groux.
- During Morales’s term, the portfolio is sometimes called the Ministry of Cultures and Tourism due to a tourism law.
- 4 June 2020: The Áñez transitional government eliminates the ministry to save funds for the COVID‑19 response.
- 13 November 2020: The MAS government under Luis Arce reinstates the ministry as the Ministry of Cultures, Decolonization, and Depatriarchalization.
- 2025: After Rodrigo Paz Pereira’s election, the ministry is replaced by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 06:37 (CET).