Complex sentence: Born in La Paz, Bolivia to humble "mestizo" parentage, Belzu was educated by Franciscan friars and joined the wars of independence in his youth, fighting under Andrés de Santa Cruz at Zepita (1823) when he was 17.
Split into simpler sentences: Born in La Paz, Bolivia to humble "mestizo" parentage, Belzu was educated by Franciscan friars. He joined the wars of independence in his youth, fighting under Andrés de Santa Cruz at Zepita (1823) when he was 17.