Bolivia's typical topography and ecology have had an enduring impact on settlement patterns. They also have figured in the relations among the nation's various groups because the isolation most communities and regions faced until at least the 1950s contributed to cultural variety.

The population of Bolivia consists of three groups—the Indians, the mestizos (of mixed Indian and Spanish descent), and the descendants of the Spaniards. After four centuries of intermixing it is, virtually impossible to measure accurately the % age of each, although Indians still form some 60 to 70 % of the total, the largest group being the Quechua.

The Indians are mainly composed of two distinct groups—those living on the northern Altiplano, who speak the guttural Aymara language, and those who speak Quechua, the language of the Incas. The Quechua are more widely distributed through the Andes, particularly in the Valles. Remnants of plains and forest Indians survive in the Oriente.