History

The name Cochabamba is derived from joining the Quechua words 'cocha' and 'pampa', which together mean swampy plain. This once swampy plain has likely been inhabited for a very long time, to judge by the wealth of pre-Columbian artefacts unearthed in 2008 at Cundisa, just one block from the main plaza. The Spanish city was founded in 1574 by Sebastián Barba de Padilla and named Villa de Oropeza in honour of the Count and Countess of Oropeza, parents of the Viceroy Francisco de Toledo, who chartered and promoted the settlement of the place. During the heyday of Potosí's silver boom, the Cochabamba Valley developed into the primary source of food for the population of that agriculturally unproductive area. Cochabamba came to be known as the 'breadbasket of Bolivia' because of its high volume of maize and wheat production. Today, the valley is still an important agricultural centre, producing not only abundant cereal crops but also orchard and citrus fruits, as well as accounting for the bulk of the country's dairy products. This high level of economic activity has seen Cochabamba grow to become Bolivia's fourth largest city.