The Bahá'í Faith in Bolivia begins with references to the country in Bahá'í literature as early as 1916. The first Bahá'í to arrive in Bolivia was in 1940 through the beginning of the arrival of coordinated pioneers, people who chose to move for the growth of the religion, from the United States. That same year the first Bolivian joined the religion. The first Bahá'í Local Spiritual Assembly was elected in La Paz in 1945 and the first Indian formally joined the religion in 1956 which soon spread widely among that subculture. The community elected an independent National Spiritual Assembly in 1961. By 1963 there were hundreds of local assemblies. The Bahá'í Faith is currently the largest international religious minority in Bolivia. The largest population of Bahá'ís in South America is in Bo