Mizque

Mizque lies in a valley of the Bolivian Andes, south of Cochabamba. The Spanish town was founded in 1603 by Francisco de Alfaro under the name Salinas del Río Pisuerga. It became an ecclesiastical centre associated with the bishopric of Santa Cruz de la Sierra: its first bishop, Antonio Calderón, arrived in Mizque in 1609.

The town's role connected the valley with a diocese extending eastward into the lowlands. Mizque remained associated with the bishopric through much of the colonial period, illustrating the importance of its inland position to religious administration and travel between the Andes and Santa Cruz.