Juan de la Rosa was first published in 1885 in Cochabamba, Bolivia. This novel chronicles essential facts of Bolivian history, from the time of the first uprising for independence in Cochabamba. The events are recounted by one of the surviving Bolivian rebels, Juan de la Rosa, in his old age. He tells of his life in Cochabamba, historical episodes between 1809 and 1811, the death his mother, and the Spanish repression, resistance, victories, and defeats in the war of independence.