Mennonites in Bolivia
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 70.000+ (2011) 28,567 (1995) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Santa Cruz | |
| Religions | |
| Anabaptist | |
| Scriptures | |
| The Bible | |
| Languages | |
| Plautdietsch, English, Spanish |
The Mennonites in Bolivia are descendants of mostly ethnic Mennonites of German and Dutch descent who came to South America in the early 20th century. The groups in Bolivia belong to the so-called "Russian Mennonites", who lived for more than 200 years in West Prussia before moving to the Russian Empire in 1789. Starting in the 19th century several groups migrated to Canada before moving to Mexico and other Latin American countries in the 1920s.
Mennonites in Bolivia speak Plautdietsch, a German dialect that originated in the Vistula delta (now within modern-day Poland). Since coming to Bolivia, a number of other people from other ethnic background have converted to Mennonite Christianity. The "Russian Mennonites” in Bolivia are among the most traditional and conservative of all the Mennonites denominations in South America. As of 2012, there are about 70,000 Mennonites living in Bolivia.
In the early-to-mid 16th century, Mennonites began to move from the Low Countries to the Vistula delta region, seeking religious freedom and exemption from military service. There they gradually replaced their Dutch and Frisian languages with the Plautdietsch dialect spoken in the area, blending into it elements of their native tongues. The Mennonites of Dutch origin were joined by Mennonites from other parts of Germany.
In 1772, most of the West-Prussian Mennonites' land in the Vistula area became part of the Kingdom of Prussia in the first of the Partitions of Poland. Frederick William II of Prussia ascended the throne in 1786 and imposed heavy fees on the Mennonites in exchange for continued military exemption.
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