With the arrival of the Spanish nearly all architecture in Bolivia changed. The indigenous housing changed as the Spanish introduced new building materials. They also brought in new structures and enough wealth to build on a large scale, changing the architectural landscape in Bolivia.
For the indigenous people, the greatest change likely came in the introduction of adobe, which often replaced the mud and stick mixture used in many houses prior to this time. Over time, clay tiled roofs also gained popularity, although this material is expensive so still somewhat rare for rural housing.
More visibly, the Spanish began building large cities as urban planning created cities on a grid, often centered around a large church and governor's palace. These large-scale construction projects were almost always built in the "Mestizo Baroque Style" or "Andes Baroque Style." This was the region's interpretation of Spanish Baroque and looks very similar to the original in most ways although there are definite influences from the local people, especially the Incans. Nearly every colonial church and palace was built in this style.
Churches in this style can be found in Sucre with the Basilica of San Francisco and Metropolitana Church, in the Chiquitos area with the Jesuit Mission temples, in Potosi with the Convent de Santa Teresa, in Carangas with the Iglesia de San Lorenzo, and in La Paz around the Plaza Murillo, although most of this city's colonial architecture has since been destroyed.