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Bolivia is one of the few countries that has two capital cities -- Sucre is home to the judicial branch of the government (making it the constitutional capital), while the president and congress are stationed in La Paz (the administrative capital). It's hard to say exactly why Bolivia's government is split into two places, but it seems to have something to do with the Liberal Party of 1899. According to the extensive Bolivia - A Country Study from the Library of Congress, a political power struggle and an economic shift led to the establishment of two capitals. In 1899 Bolivia's Liberal Party overthrew the Conservative Party during the Federal Revolution. Tin mining, which was centered around La Paz, had become a big, new money-maker for the country, and tin entrepreneurs supported the Liberals. Until that time, Sucre had been the country's capital. The more established silver mine owners and landowners near Sucre were major supporters of the Conservatives. After their victory, the Liberals wanted to move the capital from Sucre to La Paz, where their supporters were located. They were partially
successful. The presidency and congress moved to La Paz, but the Conservatives managed to keep Sucre as the legal capital and the home of the Supreme Court of Justice.
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