Proud, genteel Sucre is Bolivia’s most beautiful city and the symbolic heart of the nation. It was here that independence was proclaimed, and while La Paz is the seat of government and treasury, Sucre is recognized in the constitution as the nation’s capital. Set in a valley surrounded by mountains with a glorious ensemble of whitewashed buildings sheltering pretty patios, it’s a spruce place that has preserved its colonial architecture since it was declared a Unesco World Heritage Site in 1991. Both the city and its university enjoy reputations as focal points of progressive thought within the country.